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HUNTER'S    LIFE 


LIONS,   ELEPHANTS, 


OTHER  WILD  ANIMALS  OF  SOUTH   AFRICA. 
BY  ROUALEYN   GORDON   CUMMIMG. 

WITH   AN    INTRODUCTION 

BY    BAYARD    TAYLOR.. 

CnXfPTJiTE. 
TWO    VOLUMES    IN    ONB. 


NEW  YORK : 
DERBY    &    JACKSON,    119    NASSAU    STREET. 

CINCINNATI  :-H.  W.  DERBY  &  CO. 
1857. 


£:smzs  ikccording  to  Act  of  Ce  ijrefs,  in  the  yeui  IsIS,  by 

J.    C.    DERBY. 

H  Um  Clerk'a  Office  of  th*  District  Court  ut  tb*  u.  s.  lui  the  Southern  OiMrir.t  M'  N«w  Ymk. 


TO   HIS    GRACE   Tilt    DUKE   OF   ARGYLL. 


My  pear  Duke, 
I  dedicate  my  "Adventures  in  Africa"  to  your 
grace  for  two  reasons — to  mark  my  respect  as  a  kins- 
man, and  because  I  know  the  interest  you  take  in  the 
sports  of  the  field  and  in  the  habits  of  wild  animals. 

My  volumes  lay  claim  to  no  other  merit  than  that 
of  a  faithful  narration  of  facts  as  they  occurred ;  and 
having  been  written  far  away  from  literary  appliances, 
and  often  on  occasions  when  the  cravings  of  hunger 
were  a  more  pressing  consideration  than  the  graces  of 
composition,  I  trust  to  your  indulgence  to  overlook  in 
the  success  of  my  rifle  the  failure  of  my  pen. 
I  am  always,  my  dear  duke, 

Your  affectionate  kinsman, 

RouALEYN  Gordon  Gumming. 

Altyrt 


INTRODUCTORY  SKETCE  OF  TEE  AUTHOR. 


Mr.  Roualetn  Gordon  Gumming,  the  Niinrod  of  modern 
times,  is  a  native  of  Scotland,  and  connected  with  the  noble 
family  of  Argyll.  His  passion  for  the  chase  seems  to  have 
developed  itself  very  early  in  youth,  for  long  before  he  went 
to  Eton  to  complete  his  studies,  his  room  was  a  museum  of 
hunting  trophies.  In  the  county  of  Moray,  in  the  western 
part  of  Scotland,  where  his  boyhood  was  spent,  he  was  soon 
noted  for  his  indefatigable  devotion  to  the  sports  of  the  field, 
and  his  fondness  for  natural  history.  "  Salmon-fishing  and 
deer-stalking,"  he  says,  "  were  my  favorite  amusements ;  and 
during  these  early  wanderings  by  wood  and  stream,  the 
strong  love  of  sport  and  admiration  of  nature  in  her  wildest 
and  most  attractive  forms,  became  with  me  an  all-absorbing 
feeling,  and  my  greatest  possible  enjoyment  was  to  pass  whole 
days,  and  many  a  summer  night  in  solitude,  where,  undis- 
turbed, I  might  contemplate  the  silent  grandeur  of  the  forest 
and  the  ever- varying  beauty  of  the  scenes  around." 

After  completing  his  studies  at  Eton,  he  entered  the  Indian 
army,  and  was  attached  to  the  Madras  Light  Cavalry.     Sail 
iiig  in  1839  to  join  his  regiment,  he  touched  at  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  on  the  voyage  out,  and  there  made  his  first  essays 
in  that  field  wherein  he  has  since  become  so  famous.      In 


Vlll  INTRODUCTORT    SKETCH    OF   THE    AtJTHOR. 

India  he  hunted  tigers,  buffaloes,  and  wild  elephants,  and 
would  no  doubt  have  attained  a  reputation  for  tiger-shooting 
equal  to  that  of  Gerard,  the  Algerian  lion-hunter,  had  not  the 
climate  proved  prejudicial  to  his  constitution.  For  this  reason 
he  retired  from  the  service  and  returned  home,  where  he 
resumed  his  old  pastime  of  deer-stalking  on  the  Scottish  hills. 
But  he  was  a  born  savage,  and  after  the  taste  of  fiercer  and 
nobler  game  which  he  had  enjoyed,  soon  grew  weary  of  such 
tame  and  secure  sport.  He  longed  for  the  imrestrained  free- 
dom of  the  wilderness,  and  we  soon  find  him  procuring  a 
commission  in  the  Royal  Veteran  Newfoundland  Companies, 
with  the  idea  that  he  would  thus  be  brought  nearer  to  the 
"  ravages"  of  the  Moose,  and  the  pasture- grounds  of  the  Bison. 
He  soon  found,  however,  that  his  opportunities  of  hunting 
even  the  caribou,  or  reindeer — almost  the  only  game  in  New- 
foundland— were  very  small,  and  he  finally  effected  an 
exchange  into  the  Cape  Riflemen,  and  in  1843  returned  to 
South  Africa  and  entered  upon  that  career  which  is  recorded 
in  the  following  pages. 

While  attached  to  the  Riflemen  he  accompanied  a  military 
expedition  into  the  country  of  the  Amaponda  Cafl'res,  and 
there  formed  the  design  of  devoting  himself  to  the  chase  and 
penetrating  into  those  rich  hunting-grounds  to  the  north, 
where  the  crack  of  the  English  rifle  had  never  yet  been 
heard.  Selling  out  his  commission,  he  procured  the  outfit 
of  a  pioneer,  and  commenced  the  barbaric,  adventurous  life 
of  a  hunter,  which  in  the  course  of  five  years  yielded  him 
trophies  sufficient  to  freight  a  vessel.  During  this  time  he 
was  not  only  a  hunter,  but  an  explorer.  In  the  summer  of 
1844  he  penetrated   to  the  Baraangwato  Mountains,  in  lat. 


INTRODUCTORY    SKETCH    OF    THE    AUTHOR.  IX  . 

20°  S.,  and  was  the  first  European  to  enter  that  field  in  which 
Dr.  Livingstone  has  since  achieved  so  much  renown.  In  fact, 
the  Bamangwato  country,  which  is  about  two  hundred  miles 
to  the  north-west  of  the  frontier  missionary  station  of  Kolo- 
beug,  is  but  a  short  distance  from  the  great  lake  N'gami, 
which  Dr.  Livingstone  afterwards  discovered.  Mr.. Gumming 
made  five  journeys  into  the  interior,  and  by  his  tact  and  fear- 
lessness no  doubt  smoothed  the  way  of  the  explorers  who 
succeeded  him. 

On  these  journeys  he  kept  a  journal  of  his  exploits  and 
adventures,  noting  them  down  upon  the  spot,  while  the 
impression  was  yet  fresh  in  his  mind.  His  work  thus  pos- 
sesses an  air  of  reality,  which  brings  the  scenes  vividly  before 
our  eyes,  as  we  read,  and  fully  atones  for  any  lack  of  grace 
\n  his  style.  "  The  hand,  wearied  all  day  with  grasping  the 
rifle,"  he  says,  "  is  not  the  best  suited  for  wielding  the  pen." 
But  if  the  hand  is  weary,  the  hunter's  heart  is  not ;  and  the 
relish  with  which  he  relates  his  deeds  of  butchery  fascinates, 
while  it  often  shocks  the  reader.  We  see  the  savage  rather 
than  the  sportsman,  and  this  rude,  unreserved,  yet  wonder- 
fully graphic  and  picturesque  language,  is  the  best  evidence 
of  the  honesty  of  the  narrator.  Mr.  Gumming  has  frequently 
been  accused  of  exaggeration,  and  many  of  his  exploits  are 
truly  of  an  astounding  character ;  but  the  life  of  every 
Rocky  Mountain  trapper  presents  incidents  as  remarkable, 
and  we  see  no  reason  for  doubting  his  veracity.  Those  who 
know  the  man  personally,  have  assured  us  that  they  place 
implicit  faith  in  his  narrative.  The  museum  of  trophies, 
which  he  has  exhibited  in  London,  for  the  last  four  or  five 
years,  furnishes   additional    confirmation   of   his    inarvellous 


X  INTRODUCTORY    SKETCH    OF   THE    ATJTHOR. 

daring  and  luck.  His  work  is  unique  of  its  kind,  and  it  ■will 
be  long  before  we  have  another  hunter,  who,  to  such  a  round 
of  adventures,  shall  possess  equal  skill  in  relating  them, 

Mr.  Gordon  Gumming  is  a  tall,  rather  slender  person, 
about  thirty-eight  years  of  age.  For  some  time  after  his 
return  from  South  Africa,  he  preserved  a  barbaric  indiffe- 
rence to  conventionalities,  and  astonished  Regent  Street,  by 
promenading  in  a  sailor's  blue  shirt.  Highland  kilt,  and  a  belt 
garnished  Avith  knives  and  pistols,  while  his  hair,  which 
rivalled  Absalom's,  was  confined  in  a  bag  of  silk  netting. 
Many  curious  and  characteristic  anecdotes  of  him  are  related 
by  his  London  acquaintances.  At  present  he  is  nightly 
repeating,  to  crowded  audiences,  the  story  of  his  hunting 
.ife,  illustrated  with  panoramic  views,  and  with  the  skulls 
horns,  and  hides  of  his  slaughtered  victims.  A  London 
editor  says :  '•  He  talks,  with  the  easy  familiarity  of  a 
Doudoir,  of  life-tussles  with  cobras  and  lions,  making  small 
drawing-room  jokes  about  his  old  enemies,  and  occasionally 
catching  up  a  date  by  easy  reference  to  his  hundredth 
elephant  encounter." 

a  T. 

Jew  York,  J\rovember,  1855. 


CONTENTS    OF    VOL.  I. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Preparations  for  a  Hunting  Expedition  —  Cape  Traders  —  Traveinig  — 
Trader  at  a  Farm — Dangers  of  a  Tradei-'s  Life — Articles  for  Barter- 
Dissuasions  from  the  Enterprise — iV'Jy  Outfit — Hunting  Rlieebok  — 
Wild  Flowers » I'age  17 

CHAPTER  n. 
Mysteries  of  Inspanning — Cape  Wagon  and  its  Furniture — Departure 
from  Grahamstown — My  head  Servant  leaves  me — Impassable  State 
of  the  Roads — My  Wagon  in  a  Fix — Change  of  Route — Singular  In- 
stinct of  the  Honey-bird 32 

CHAPTER  III. 
Fearful  Descent  of  Do  Bruin's  Poort — District  lately  deserted  by  Ele- 
phants— Noble  Forest-trees — The  Great  Fish  River — Cunning  Boers 
— Burning  Effects  of  the  Sun — The  Dutch  No6's  Green  Tea  Oint- 
ment— Skill  of  the  Hottentots  in  "  Tapping  the  Admiral" — Beauti- 
fully wooded  Country — The  Village  of  Cradock — South  African  Cli. 
mate — Countless  Herds  of  Springbok — Mynheer  Pocheter — The 
Way  to  make  a  Friend  on  the  Thebus  Flats — Hendric  Strydom — 
Hunting  for  Springbok  —  Extraordinary  Migrations  of  these  Ante- 
lopes  51 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  Bustard  shot — Flight  of  Locusts — Quagga  Shooting  in  the  Dark- 
Curious  Mistake — Ostriches — A  Sportsman  napping — Leave  Stry- 
dom's  Residence  in  quest  of  Wildebeests — Wildebeest  Shooting — 
Meeting  with  a  Brother  Officer — Proceed  to  Colesberg — Additions  lo 
Equipments 73 

CHAPTER  V. 

Departure  from  Colesberg — Jaging  Springbok — Vast  Herds  of  Game- 
Swarms  of  Flies — Oology — A  Nomade  Boer's  Encampment — Anec- 
dote of  the  Gemsbok — Cobus  rides  down  a  splendid  old  Bull  Gems- 
bok — A  Night  in  the  Desert — Paterson  arrives — Bushmen — Their  ex- 
traordiuarv  Raids  across  tho  Desert 88 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Hard  Chase  of  an  Oryx — A  briudled  Guoo  reduces  himself  to  a  deoA 
Lock,"  and  is  taken — Paterson  slays  a  Gemsbok  and  a  Bull  Wilde- 
beest—He leaves  for  Colesberg— Ostrich  Eggs— Novel  Method  of 
carrying  them — Anecdotes  of  the  Ostrich — Affray  with  a  Porcupine 
— He  proves  a  rough  Rider  for  my  Horse — Narrow  Escape  from  the 
Thrust  of  a  dying  Oryx — The  grateful  Water-root — Troops  of  Spring- 
boks cover  the  Face  of  the  Land — Their  Migrations — The  6uest  shot 
at  my  Leisui-e — Beer  Vley Page  102 

CHAPTER  VH. 
Leave  Beer  Vley — A  Bushboy  captured  and  enlisted  as  a  Follower — 
Famous  Sport  with  Wildebeest  and  Quaggas  from  a  Hunting-hole — 
Water  fails,  and  we  march  to  the  Great  Orange  River — Beautiful  Ap- 
pearance of  the  River — Stink  Vouteyn,  a  famous  sporting  Quarter— 
An  Osti-ich's  Nest — Bold  Mountain  Ranges — The  Griqua  Tril^e,  their 
Manners  and  Customs — An  ancient  Mimosa  Forest — Residence  of  a 
Bushman — Successful  Chase  of  a  noble  Bull  Oryx 116 

CHAPTER  Vm. 
We  leave  Stink  Vonteyn  and  reach  the  Vaal  River — Wait-a-bit  Thorns 
— Chase  and  kill  a  Buck  Koodoo,  and  bivouac  on  the  Ground — Co- 
bus  and  Jacob  abscond — Roan  Antelope — We  recross  the  Vaal  River 
— Griqua  Encampment — Stink  Vouteyn  again — A  Flight  of  Locusts — 
A  Salt-pan— Salubrious  Climate — Boers  attempt  to  carry  off  Ruyter 
— A  Cameel-dorn  Forest — A  Brindled  Gnoo  bayed  by  Wild  Dogs- 
Habits  of  the  latter 135 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Riet  River — Nomade  Boer  Encampments — Surly  Reception  at  a 
Boer's  Farm — Lions  slain  by  the  Boers — Cowardice  of  the  Boers  in 
Lion  Hunting — Rumors  of  War  between  the  Boers  and  Griquas— 
The  Mirage  of  the  Plains — Habits  of  the  Blesbok — A  knowing  old 
Hog — A  Snake  under  my  Pillow — A  Troop  of  W^ild  Dogs  come  upon 
me  at  Night  in  my  Shooting-hole — The  Roar  of  Lions — Curious  Facta 
concerning  them 153 

CHAPTER  X. 

Boer  Encampment — A  Night  in  a  Storm — A  Fancy  Costume — Fear- 
ful Encounter  with  a  Lioness — "Colesberg"  dreadfully  mangled — 
Cowardice  of  Hottentots — We  march  back  to  Colesberg — Danger  of 
being  plu'idered  by  the  Rebel  Boers — Arrival  at  Colesberg — The 
Troops  n  irch  against  the  Boers — The  Battle  o"  Schv/art  Coppice— 


CONTENTS.  xm 

Start  fot  the  distant  Land  of  Elephants — The  Hottentots  make  free 
with  my  Brandy,  and  mutiny — Leopards — Kuruman — Mr.  Moffat, 
the  good  Missionary — Roasted  Locusts Page  177 

CHAPTER  XL 
Motito — The  Bechuana  Tribes — The  mysterious  great  inland  Lake- 
Blesbok  and  Wildebeest  abundant — Park-like  Country — Wp  arrive 
at  the  beautiful  Vale  of  Bakatla — Dr.  Livingstone,  the  Missiuaary — 
Native  Fashions  at  Church — Determine  to  push  on  to  Bamangwato — 
The  Natives  follow  me  for  Venison — Great  Variety  of  Game — A  dan- 
gerous Fight  with  a  Herd  of  Buffaloes,  two  of  which  are  slain — A 
Colony  of  Baboons — A  Rhinoceros  chases  me  round  a  Bush — Habits 
of  the  Beast — A  noble  Eland  killed — An  impromptu  Steak — Slay  a 
Rhinoceros,  and  lose  my  Way  in  the  Forest 199 

CHAPTER  Xn. 
My  Hottentots  object  to  advance  further  into  the  Interior — A  Boar 
Hunt — We  march  through  a  charming  Country — The  Mountain  Pass 
of  Sesetabie — A  Lion  and  Lioness  inspect  my  Cattle,  and  the  Lion 
pays  for  peeping — Hungry  Hyaenas  sup  upon  the  Cattle  Furniture — 
Ihe  Camelopard-  Descri2)tion  of  its  Habits  —  Booby,  a  Bechuana 
Kraal — Gun  Medicme — Disastrous  Finale  to  an  Incantation — Native 
Conspiracy  to  prevent  my  further  Progi-ess 221 

CHAPTER  xm. 

The  Guides  try  to  mislead  me — The  Cattle  and  Horses  dying  from 

Thirst — Search  for  Water — Melancholy  Anticipations — Directed  to  a 

Pool  by  the  Flight  of  Birds — Chase  and  kill  a  Giraffe — Wandering 

Bechuanas  point  out  my  right  Course  —  Miserable  Condition  of  the 

Natives — Game  Pitfalls — Mimosa  Grove  smashed  by  Elephants — A 

inoceros  charges  me  —  Abundance  of  large  Game  — Lost  in  the 

orest 241 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Bamangwato  Mountains — The  Elephant's  Fountain — A  Troop  of 
colossal  Giraffes — Elephants  drinking  by  Night — Habits  of  the  Afri- 
can Elei)hant — Elephant  Hunt — A  Bull  shot  after  a  dangerous  En- 
counter— Cutting  out  the  Tusks — Extraordinary  Rocks — Mountain 
Retreat  of  Sicomy,  King  of  Bamangwato — His  Cunning — Barter  Mus- 
kets for  Ivorj' — His  Majesty's. curious  Gun-practice — Trading  for  Na- 
tive Weapons 257 


xiv 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
Take  leave  of  Sicomy — Diggiug  for  Water — The  Elephant's  Fountain 
again — A  wouiitled  Roan  Antelope  bays  in  the  Water,  and  kills  my 
Dogs  right  and  left — Sicomy's  Camp  again — We  march  through  a 
beautiful  Valley — Curious  Instinct  of  the  Rhinoceros  Bird — A  miglity 
Bull  Elephant  shot  after  a  hard  Conflict — IMutchuisho's  Attentions 
more  charitable  than  pleasant — Cutting  up  an  Elephant — A  strange 
Scene — Baking  the  Flesh — Primitive  Tobacco-pipes — Biltongiie  Fes- 
toons   Page  285 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

Elephant  Spooring  with  the  Natives — The  Mystic  Dice — Hunt  in  a 
Wait-a-bit  Thorn  Cover — Romantic  Gorge  in  the  Mountains — Sabie 
— Ancient  Elephant  Path  —  Ludicrous  Native  Signal — A  noble  Bull 
Elephant  slain — Isaac,  my  Interpreter,  dismissed — A  Lioness  bagged 
at  one  Shot — Drunkenness  and  Disorder  in  Camp — My  Manner  of 
taking  the  Field  after  the  larger  Game — Sicomy's  Followers  deseil 

me aa* 


FIVE  YEARS'   HUNTING 
ADVENTURES  IN    SOUTH   AFRICA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Preparations  for  a  Hunting  Expedition  —  Cape  Traders  —  Traveling 
Trader  at  a  Farm — Dangers  of  a  Trader's  Life — Articles  for  Barter- 
Dissuasions  from  the  Enterprise — My  Outfit  —  Hunting  Rlieebok  — 
Wild  Flowers. 

Having  resolved  to  make  a  hunting  expedition  into 
the  interior  'of  Southern  Africa,  my  first  object  was  to 
seek  out  some  experienced  person,  able  to  give  me  the 
necessary  information  as  to  what  purchases  I  should 
require  to  make  in  the  way  of  wagons  and  oxen,  and 
as  to  my  outfit  in  general,  and  I  accordingly  pitched 
upon  an  individual  of  the  name  of  Murphy,  a  trader  in 
the  interior,  who,  I  had  reason  to  believe,  was  better 
acquamted  than  any  other  person  in  Grahamstown 
with  the  frontiers  of  the  colony,  and  the  adjoining  ter- 
ritories of  the  Griqua  and  Bechuana  tribes,  situated 
beyond  the  Great  Orange  River.  With  this  person  I 
had  already  had  the  pleasure  of  becoming  acquainted 
durino-  the  short  time  I  was  quartered  in  Grahamstown 
in  the  month  of  July,  haying  been  introduced  to  him 
by  another  trader,  a  man  from  my  own  land  of  Moray, 
famous  among  the  Dutch  Boers  about  and  beyond  the 
frontiers.  This  man's  name  was  Andrew  Thompson, 
of  Forres,  one  of  three  brothers,  all  of  whom  followed 
the  same  adventurous  line  of  life,  and  were  as  steady, 


ly  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

hard-working,  and  determined  young  men  as  might  be 
met  with  throughout  the  colony. 

As,  in  the  course  of  the  following  pages,  I  may  have 
occasion  to  allude  to  these  traders,  and  others  of  a 
similar  avocation,  it  will,  perhaps,  be  as  well  to  give 
the  reader  a  sketch  of  the  manner  in  which  their  oc- 
cupation is  conducted.  Each  trader  is  supposed  to  be 
the  proprietor  of  one  or  two  ox-wagons.  These  they 
"  load  up,"  from  the  large  stores  of  the  merchants  in 
Grahamstown  and  Port  Elizabeth,  with  every  species 
of  merchandise  which  the  far-dwelling  isolated  Dutch 
Boers  are  likely  to  require.  So  supplied,  they  set  out 
on  their  long  journey,  which  usually  occupies  from  six 
to  eight  months ;  at  the  end  of  which  they  return  to 
the  colony,  enriched  with  immense  droves  of  sleek  oxen 
and  fat  wethers,  selected  from  the  numerous  herds  and 
flocks  of  the  pastoral  dwellers  in  the  interior.  The 
wagons  of  a  trader  generally  contain  every  requisite 
for  a  farmer's  establishment:  groceries,  hardware,  bales 
of  cloth  and  canvas,  haberdashery,  saddlery,  crockery 
— in  short,  every  thing,  from  an  awl  for  the  Boer  to 
mend  his  "feldt  schoens"  or  country  shoes,  to  a  roll 
of  cherry-colored  or  sky-blue  ribbon  to  tie  up  the  bonny 
brown  locks  of  his  fair  davighters,  whose  beauty,  like 
that  of  Skye  terriers,  I  fear,  in  many  cases,  consists  in 
their  ugliness.  They,  however,  sadly  lack  the  ^  dega- 
gee"  appearance  of  the  Skye  terrier,  as  their  general 
air  and  gait  might  be  more  aptly  likened  to  a  yard  of 
pump-water. 

As  the  trader  advances  up  the  country  and  effects 
exchanges,  he  leaves  the  cattle  or  sheep  which  he  has 
bartered  in  charge  of  their  former  master,  picking  them 
up  on  his  return  southward.  "When  all  his  goods  are 
disposed  of,  he  generally  winds  up  his  barter  by  ex- 


CAPE    TRADERS    AND    THEIR    AVAGONS.  19 

changing  the  wagon  or  wagons  which  bore  them  for 
cash  or  oxen,  or  both,  and  then,  purchasing  a  horse,  he 
returns  in  hght  marching  order  to  the  colony. 

The  price  which  a  trader  gives  for  a  wagon  is  usu- 
ally from  d£40  to  £60,  and  in  war  times  often  a  thou- 
sand rix  dollars,  or  £75.  The  number  of  oxen  which 
he  usually  obtains  for  it  at  the  close  of  his  journey  is 
from  forty  to  fifty,  and  these  he  is  supposed  to  select 
himself.  The  value  of  the  wagon  is  partly  dependent 
on  the  character  of  the  tent.  Tents  are  of  two  kinds; 
the  one  being  coarsely  yet  strongly  constructed  of  green 
boughs  fitting  into  iron  staples  along  the  sides  of  the 
wagon,  and  lashed  together  with  strips  of  green  hide 
so  as  to  form  a  succession  of  arches  overhead.  These 
are  kept  in  their  position  by  means  of  long  straight 
wands  laid  all  along  the  outside  of  the  arches,  the 
whole  frame-work  being  very  strongly  secured  b}'  the 
afore-mentioned  strips  of  green  hide.  On  the  top  of 
this  are  placed  coarse  Kaffir  mats  made  of  reeds,  which 
act  as  a  Scotchman  (to  use  a  sea-faring  phrase)  to  keep 
the  wagon-sail,  which  is  of  stout  canvas,  from  chafing. 
The  other  variety  of  tent  is  of  a  less  homely  build,  and 
is  termed  by  the  colonists  a  cap-tent  wagon.  It  re- 
quires the  hand  of  a  skillful  wagon-builder,  and  is  much 
more  elaborately  finished,  the  wood,  which  supports  and 
composes  the  tent  being  all  neatly  sawed  and  planed, 
and  fastened  together  with  iron  rivets. 

This  description  of  wagon  is  preferred  by  the  aris- 
tocracy among  the  Boers,  as  presenting  a  more  dis- 
tingue appearance,  when  they  drive  their  fraus  and 
children  on  a  round  of  visits,  which  they  are  constant- 
ly doing,  or  when  flocking  to  the  "  Nachmal,"  or  com- 
munion, which  happens  three  or  four  times  in  the  year. 
The  former,  or  common  wand  tent,  however,  possessed 


20  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

a  great  advantage  over  the  cap  tent,  inasmuch  as,  in 
the  first  place,  it  is  cheaper  by  £10,  and,  secondly,  if 
broken  in  a  capsize,  which  in  Cape  traveling  is  an  affair 
of  common  occurrence,  it  is  easily  repaired  on  the  spot; 
whereas  the  cap-tent  wagon,  if  once  upset,  is  irretriev- 
ahly  ruined. 

When  a  trader  arrives  on  a  Boer's  farm,  he  halts  and 
walks  up  to  the  door  to  inquire  where  he  is  to  "  out- 
span,"  or  unyoke  the  oxen,  and  also  in  what  direction 
the  oxen  are  to  be  driven  to  graze.  At  the  door  he  is 
met  by  the  baas,  or  master,  generally  pipe  in  mouth, 
w^ho,  cordially  greeting  him  with  one  hand,  raises  his 
hat  from  his  head  with  the  other.  The  Boers  lay  great 
stress  on  this  piece  of  etiquette,  which  has  to  be  gone 
through  with  a  whole  string  of  juvenile  Boers  follow- 
ing in  the  rear,  each  incased  in  a  very  roomy  pair  of 
inexpressibles,  and  crowned  with  an  immense  broad- 
rimmed  tile,  nearly  half  the  size  of  its  wearer.  Per- 
mission to  outspan  being  obtained,  and  a  few  compli- 
mentary speeches  interchanged,  the  trader  inquires  of 
the  Boer  if  he  has  any  fat  oxen  to  handle  or  barter,  to 
which  the  Boer  either  at  once  replies  in  the  negative, 
or  more  commonly  says,  "  I  do  not  know.  What  have 
you  got  on  your  wagon  ?"  The  trader  answers,  "  I 
have  got  a  little  of  every  thing,  and  all  of  the  very  best 
quality,  and  you  shall  have  any  thing  you  require  as 
low  as  a  trader  can  possibly  sell  it.  I  shall  presently 
unload  a  little  for  your  inspection."  The  Boer  politely 
says,  "  No,  no,  mynheer,  you  must  not  offload ;  it  would 
grieve  me  that  mynheer  should  exert  himself  so  much ;" 
to  which  the  trader  replies,  "It  is  no  trouble;  we  are 
accustomed  to  do  it,  and  it  is  our  business."  The 
trader  then  instructs  his  knccht,  or  head  servant,  to 
make  a  parade  of  the  goods,  and  he  then  accompanies 


THE    TRADER    AT    A    FARM.  21 

the  Boer  into  the  house,  where  dinner  will  shortly  make 
its  appearance,  to  which  the  Boer  invariably,  in  the 
most  hospitable  manner,  makes  every  white  stranger 
welcom.e.  Plere,  if  the  trader  is  wide  awake  to  his  own 
interest,  he  will  pay  marked  attention  to  the  Noe  or 
frau,  as  no  bargain  or  transaction  of  any  nature  can  be 
ratified  with  a  Dutchman  without  her  full  concurrence 
and  approval.  The  Dutch  are  particularly  cleanly  in 
their  establishments  and  cooking,  and,  moreover,  pos- 
sess a  very  fair  notion  of  the  culinary  art,  their  tables  in 
general  being  graced  with  several  very  excellent  and 
substantial  dishes.  When  dinner  is  over,  all  hands  re- 
sort to  the  wagon  and  overhaul  the  merchandise,  where 
it  is  ten  to  one  but  the  Noe  will  find  about  fifty  differ- 
ent articles  which  she  will  prevail  upon  her  husband 
to  believe  indispensable  in  the  private  economy  of  his 
establishment.  Thus,  when  "  handling"  once  begins, 
it  often  goes  on  briskly,  and  from  a  Boer  who  at  the 
outset  declared  himself  independent  of  the  trader's  sup- 
plies, as  many  as  two  or  three,  or  even  half  a  dozen, 
fat  oxen  may  be  obtained. 

As  the  trader  knows  well  from  past  experience  that 
the  Boer  will  be  sure  to  endeavor  to  abate  his  prices,  he 
makes  a  point  of  asking  a  little  more  than  he  intends 
to  take,  so  as  to  be  able  to  give  in  to  the  Boer's  im- 
portunities, who,  with  a  sly  wink  at  his  wife,  congratu- 
lates himself  on  his  shrewdness,  and  flatters  himself 
that  he  has  run  a  hard  bargain. 

When  the  trader  has  collected  all  his  cattle,  he  drives 
them  by  steady  marches  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles 
in  the  twenty-four  hours,  which  are  performed  chiefly 
during  the  night,  to  Grahamstown  or  Beaufort,  where 
he  disposes  of  them  to  butchers.  At  the  former  place 
they  are  purchased  for  the  use  of  the  town,  and  by  the 


22  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

government  contractors  for  the  supply  of  the  troops. 
At  Beaufort,  which  is  on  the  high  road  to  Cape  Town, 
they  are  purchased  for  the  supply  of  the  Cape  Town 
market.  The  payments  for  the  cattle  are  seldom,  if 
ever,  made  in  hard  cash,  the  poor  trader  having  to  con- 
tent himself  with  approved  bills,  drawn  at  six  and  nine 
months,  which  in  too  many  cases  are  never  honored, 
the  defaulter  being  found  either  bankrupt,  or  to  have 
bolted  for  England  or  California.  The  life  of  a  trader 
is  hard  and  harassing,  and  he  is  often  liable  to  very 
heavy  losses  by  deaths  from  severe  drought,  distem- 
pers, and  other  causes ;  also  from  the  chances  of  war, 
oxen  straying  and  being  found  no  more,  overstocked 
markets,  and  non-payments  as  above,  besides  the  dan- 
ger to  which  he  is  exposed  from  the  attacks  of  wild 
beasts.  During  the  time  that  he  is  engaged  in  driving 
his  oxen,  his  rest  is  necessarily  broken  and  disturbed, 
and,  being  compelled  to  watch  his  cattle  every  hour  of 
the  night,  in  all  weathers,  he  is  obliged  always  to  have 
his  clothes  on,  and  to  sleep  when  he  can,  after  the  man- 
ner of  sea-captains  in  bad  weather,  who  hang  their  nose 
on  to  a  ratlin,  and  so  take  a  nap.  As  an  instance  of 
the  injury  from  chances  of  war,  I  may  here  allude  to 
the  severe  losses  sustained  by  my  friend  Mr,  Peter 
Thompson,  who,  during  the  war  which  ravaged  the 
colony  in  the  years  1846  and  1847,  was  returning  to 
Grahamstown  with  a  large  herd  of  some  hundred  fine 
oxen,  the  well-earned  proceeds  of  a  laborious  and  toil- 
some expedition,  when  he  was  attacked  in  De  Bruin's 
Poort,  a  rugged  and  densely- wooded  ravine,  within  one 
march  of  Grahamstown,  by  a  band  of  the  marauding 
Amaponda  Kaffirs,  armed  with  guns  and  assagais,  who 
swept  off  the  whole  of  his  drove,  he  himself  barely 
escaping  with  his  life. 


ARTICLES    OF    COMMERCE.  23 

In  years  when  the  prices  of  cattle  are  low,  these 
traders  occasionally  vary  their  line  of  march,  and,  for- 
saking the  Boers  for  a  season,  they  load  up  a  suitable 
cargo,  and  direct  their  course  for  the  Bechuana  tribes, 
from  whom  they  obtain  ivory,  karosses  (skin  cloaks), 
and  ostrich  feathers,  along  with  various  curiosities,  for 
which  they  obtain  a  ready  sale  in  the  Grahamstown 
market,  where  good  ivory  averages  from  45,  to  4s.  Qd. 
per  pound.  Karosses  vary  in  price  from  d£l  to  £3  each, 
according  to  their  size,  kind,  and  quality.  Ostrich 
feathers  used  to  fetch  from  d£5  to  £6  per  pound,  but, 
partly  owing  to  the  feathers  being  less  worn  by  the 
votaries  of  fashion  in  London,  and  partly  to  the  lato 
disturbances  throughout  Europe,  the  prices  have  great- 
ly fallen.*  The  articles  required  for  trading  with  the 
Bechuana  tribes  consist  of  beads  of  all  sizes  and  colors, 
brass  and  copper  wire,  knives  and  hatchets,  clothing 
for  both  sexes,  ammunition,  guns,  young  cows,  and  she- 
goats.  The  two  latter  the  trader  obtains  in  barter  from 
the  Boers,  Griqua  and  Koranna  tribes,  more  immedi- 
ately adjacent  to  the  colony.  Some  writers  have  er- 
roneously stated  that  snuff  and  tobacco  are  a  good  cir- 
culating medium  among  the  tribes  in  Southern  Africa, 
but  in  the  course  of  my  experience  I  can  scarcely  re- 
member having  ever  obtained  the  smallest  article  in 
barter  for  either,  not  even  a  drink  of  milk.  The  natives 
have  certainly  no  objection  to  receive  these  articles 
when  given  gratuitously,  but  are  far  too  wide  aw"ake  to 
place  any  great  value  upon  them.  During  my  career 
in  Southern  Africa  I  have  had  much  experience  in 
trading  with  the  Bechuana  tribes,  and,  as  I  shall  have 
occasion  to  refer  to  my  trading  exploits  in  the  course 

•  From  Beventy-five  to  ninety  good  sized  ostrich  feathers  weigh  it 
pound. 


24  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

of  my  narrative,  I  have  entered  into  the  above  partictt- 
lars,  that  the  reader  may  at  the  outset  form  an  idea  of 
the  manner  in  which  these  things  are  conducted. 

On  making  inquiries,  I  had  the  pleasure  to  find  that, 
contrary  to  my  expectation,  both  Andrew  Thompson 
and  Murphy  were  still  in  Grahamstown,  where  I  had 
left  .them  about  three  months  before,  when  I  marched 
thence  into  Caffraria  with  my  regiment ;  and  the  lat- 
ter, whom  I  found  to  be  a  confirmed  tippler,  was  able 
in  his  few  lucid  moments  to  give  me  much  valuable  in- 
formation relative  to  the  preparations  which  I  required 
to  make  in  the  way  of  purchasing  oxen  and  wagons, 
engaging  servants,  &c.,  &c. ;  also  various  wrinkles  as 
to  the  con-ducting  of  my  establishment,  the  hours  *f 
marching,  and  the  line  of  country  which  I  had  chalked 
out  for  my  first  expedition.  Poor  Murphy!  he  was  as 
kind-hearted  a  creature  as  ever  breathed. 

From  the  1st  till  the  22d  of  October  I  was  actively 
employed  in  making  the  necessary  purchases  and  ar- 
rangements for  my  coming  expedition,  and  in  forward- 
ing my  affairs,  in  which  Murphy,  during  his  sober  in- 
tervals, most  willingly  assisted  me.  As  the  reader  will 
observe,  my  establishment  at  my  first  outset  was  on  a 
much  more  limited  scale  than  upon  subsequent  expe- 
ditions. This  was  partly  owing  to  the  uncertainty 
which  I  felt  as  to  the  success  of  my  sporting  under- 
takings, and  the  length  of  time  which  I  might  feel  in- 
clined to  devote  to  this  line  of  life.  I  was  much  in  the 
dark  as  to  what  sport  I  might  expect  to  realize,  and 
what  difficulties  I  should  have  to  encounter,  in  the  trip 
[  was  about  to  make ;  the  truth  being  that  I  could  not 
find  a  single  individual,  cither  among  the  natives  or  the 
military,  who  could  in  the  smallest  degree  enlighten 
me  on  the  subject. 


PREPARATIONS    AND    DISSUASIONS.  25 

The  general  impression  among  my  military  friends 
was,  that  any  game  which  remained  in  the  interior 
must  have,  ere  then,  retreated  to  such  remote  parts, 
far  away  in  the  territories  of  savage  tribes,  as  to  be  ut- 
terly beyond  the  reach  of  any  sportsman,  however  en- 
terprising ;  and  when  they  saw  me  bustling  about, 
ma]\;ing  my  purchases,  they  used  to  sa}'"  to  me,  "  It  is 
all  nonsense  your  laying  out  your  money  in  this  way. 
Wny  don't  you  rather  go  home  at  once  to  your  own 
country  ?  We  shall  see  you  returning  in  a  month  or 
two,  like  those  fellows  who  went  on  a  shooting  trip  last 
year,  with  a  coup-de-soleil  and  an  attack  of  dysentery, 
utterly  disgusted  with  the  country,  and  selling  ofl'  all 
these  things  on  which  you  are  now  expending  so  much 
capital." 

The  shooting  party  here  alluded  to  consisted  of  one 
officer  of  the  7th  Dragoons,  two  of  the  27th,  and  others 
who,  having  obtained  a  few  weeks'  leave,  and  burning 
to  distinguish  themselves  in  a  campaign  against  the 
ferae  of  Southern  Africa,  had  hired  a  wagon  and  pene- 
trated as  far  as  the  Thebus  Mountain,  where  for  a  few 
days  they  enjoyed  some  good  sport  among  the  black 
wildebeest  and  springboks  which  abound  on  the  plains 
surrounding  that  mountain  ;  till,  having  broken  the 
stocks  of  their  rifles  in  falls  from  their  horses  while  im- 
petuously "jaging"  the  game,  they  returned  to  head- 
quarters, one  suffering  from  coup-de-soleil,  and  the  rest 
from  dysentery  brought  on  by  drinking  bad  water,  they 
having  been  unfortunate  in  the  vley  beside  which  they 
had  fixed  their  encampment.  My  gallant  friend  Lieu- 
tenant H ,  of  the  91st,  was  one  of  the  most  urgent 

in  endeavoring  to  dissuade  me  from  my  steadfast  pur- 
pose of  trekking  up  the  country,  and  recommended  me 
rather  to  return  with  him  to  England,  whither  he  -vas 

Vol-.  I  — B 


26  ADVEKTURES    IN    SOUTH   AFRICA. 

about  to  proceed.  He  and  I  had  sent  in  our  resigna- 
tion of  her  majesty's  service  at  the  same  time,  and,  fortu- 
nately for  us,  by  some  mistake  our  papers  were  mislaid 
at  Cape  Town,  and  not  forwarded  in  the  usual  course, 

whereby  we  gained  several  months'  pay.     H ,  who, 

like  many  others  of  the  military,  entertained  a  profound 
disgust  for  the  colony  and  every  thing  connected  with 
it,  at  first  could  hardly  believe  that  I  was  in  earnest 
when  I  spoke  of  going  up  the  country  ;  and  when  con- 
vinced that  such  was  my  determination,  he  said,  with 
a  strong  lisp  which  was  habitual  to  him,  "  Good  G — , 
Cummin !  you  are  thurely  mad  to  remain  longer  in 
thith  country  after  you  have  obtained  leave  to  return 
to  dear  old  England.  I  athure  you,  I  had  rather  be  a 
thoe-black  in  England  than  live  in  thith  beathtly  coun- 
try," 

Notwithstanding  these  friendly  dissuasions  on  tho 
part  of  my  acquaintance,  I  continued  to  prosecute  my 
affairs  so  unremittingly,  that  on  the  22d  I  considered 
my  manifold  arrangements  complete,  and,  being  much 
harassed  and  annoyed  by  the  unavoidable  delays  to 
which  1  had  been  subjected,  I  was  full  of  impatience  to 
make  a  start.  These  delays  were  in  a  great  measure 
occasioned  by  the  weather,  heavy  and  constant  rains 
having  fallen  during  the  previous  fourteen  days,  accom- 
panied with  a  cold  wind  off  the  Southern  Ocean.  This, 
of  necessity,  materially  interfered  v/ith  and  delayed  me 
in  my  arrangements,  and  had  also  the  effect  of  render 
ing  the  country  perfectly  unfit  for  locomotion,  in  many 
places  cutting  up  the  roads  with  rugged,  impassable 
water-courses,  and  in  low-lying  districts  converting 
them  into  deep,  impracticable  quagmires. 

It  will  here  be  necessary  to  give  a  detailed  account 
of  my  outfit,  to  put  the  reader  at  once  in  possession  of 


OUTFIT.  27 

the  extent  and  nature  of  my  establishment  and  camp 
equipage.  My  first  object  was,  of  course,  to  secure  a 
traveling  wagon,  and  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  obtain 
an  excellent  new  cap-tent  one,  complete  with  all  its 
gear  ready  for  inspanning,  from  JMr.  Ogilvie,  of  Gra- 
hamstown,  for  the  sum  of  £60,  which,  as  it  eventually 
proved  to  be  a  right  good  one,  was  decidedly  a  bargain. 
I  very  soon,  however,  found  out,  as  I  extensively  col- 
ected  specimens  of  natural  history,  that  one  wagon  was 
insufficient;  and  not  long  after,  in  the  town  of  Coles- 
berg,  on  the  frontiers  of  the  colony,  I  purchased  a  sec- 
ond, also  a  cap-tent  wagon,  with  its  necessary  accom- 
paniment, a  span  of  oxen ;  and  at  a  later  period,  as  the 
reader  will  subsequently  learn,  I  found  it  necessary  to 
purchase  a  third,  and  became  the  proprietor  of  consid- 
erably more  than  a  hundred  draught  oxen. 

yrom  an  English  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  Grahams- 
town  I  obtained  a  span  of  twelve  excellent,  well-trained, 
black,  zuur-veldt  oxen,  which  I  judged  suited  for  my 
work,  they  having  been  in  the  habit,  with  their  late 
master,  of  bringing  in  very  heavy  loads  of  wood  to  the 
Grahamstown  market.  Their  price  was  £o  each ;  and 
as  it  is  not  unusual  to  see  an  ox,  in  the  best  of  spans, 
knock  up  on  long  marches,  by  Murphy's  advice  I  pur- 
chased two  spare  oxen  of  Mr.  Thompson. 

My  stud  of  horses  as  yet  consisted  of  but  two,  which 
had  been  my  chargers  in  the  regiment.  These  were 
"  Sinon,"  a  stallion  which  I  had  bought  of  Major  Good- 
man of  the  27th,  and  "The  Cow,"  an  excellent  dark- 
brown  gelding  which  I  had  obtained  from  Colonel  Som- 
erset of  "  Ours."  I  did  not  think  it  wise  to  lay  out 
more  money  in  horse-flesh  in  Grahamstown,  as  I  should 
ohortly  have  to  pass  through  the  Hantam,  where  most 
of  the  Boers  breed  horses  extensively,  which  are  famed 


28  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

for  their  spirit  and  hardiness  throughout  the  colony.  I 
engaged  four  servants — namely,  an  Englishman  called 
Long,  as  head-servant,  a  thorough  Cockney,  who,  as  I 
afterward  learned,  had  formerly  been  a  cab-driver  in 
London,  and  whom  I  took  into  my  service  at  Murphy's 
recommendation.  Long  being  supposed  to  possess  a  cer- 
tain degree  of  experience,  having  penetrated  as  far  as 
the  banks  of  the  Orange  River  on  a  trading  excursion 
on  his  own  account ;  but  his  heart,  as  the  event  proved, 
inclined  more  to  worship  at  the  shrine  of  Venus  than 
at  that  of  Diana.  A  certain  little  dark-eyed  damsel, 
who  acted  as  laundress  to  the  military,  and  who  was 
employed  all  day  in  driving  her  mangle,  seemed  entire- 
ly to  engross  his  thoughts.  Long  frequently  observing 
that  "there  was  that  sweet  little  creature  obliged  to 
drive  a  mangle  who  ought  rather  to  be  sitting  practi- 
cing at  her  '  pihanne.'  " 

My  other  three  servants  were  natives.  A  wagon- 
drivcr  named  Kleinboy,  a  stout,  active  Hottentot,  with 
the  high  cheek  bones  and  woolly  head  of  his  race,  and 
who  was  quite  au  fait  at  his  department.  Like  many 
others  of  his  countrymen,  he  was  subject  to  fits  of  sulks, 
and  much  preferred  reclining  for  hours  under  my  wag- 
ons, or  in  the  shade  of  a  bush  practicing  on  his  violin, 
to  looking  after  his  master's  wcrk.  My  leader's  name 
was  Carollus :  he  was  the  third  whom  I  had  engaged 
in  that  capacity,  the  other  two  having  absconded.  He 
was  a  stout,  powerful  fellov^',  descended  from  the  Mo- 
zambique races.  He  entered  my  service  under  cover 
of  night,  having  absconded  from  Kingsley  of  "Ours," 
that  gentleman,  according  to  his  assertion,  being  in  the 
habit  of  administering  a.  little  wholesome  correction 
with  the  jambok,  which,  on  further  acquaintance  with 
him,  I  had  reason  to  believe  he  richly  merited.     My 


SERVANTS    AND    STORES.  29 

third  native  servant  was  Cobus,  a  Hottentot  of  light 
weight,  the  son  of  a  veteran  in  my  regiment.  He  'list- 
ed in  the  capacity  of  after-rider,  and  proved  to  be  first- 
rate  in  his  calling,  being  the  best  horseman  I  met  with 
in  South  Africa.  He  also,  like  Klcinboy,  was  liable  to 
fits  of  sulkiness,  through  which  I  eventually  lost  him ; 
for  on  one  occasion,  finding  it  necessary  to  inflict  on 
him  a  summary  chastisement,  he  deserted  from  my 
service  in  consequence.* 

*  The  baggage,  provisions,  and  genei'al  stores  whicli  I  carried  with 
me  were  as  t'oUows :  Two  sacks  coutaiuijig  300  lbs.  of  coffee,  four  quar- 
ter cliests  of  tea,  300  lbs.  of  sugar,  JOO  lbs.  of  rice,  180  lbs.  of  meal, 
100  lbs.  of  flour,  five  lbs.  of  pepper,  100  lbs.  of  salt,  an  anker  of  vinegar, 
several  large  jars  of  pickles,  half  a  dozen  hams  and  cheeses,  two  cases  of 
gin,  one  anker  of  brandy,  one  half  aum  of  Cape  brandy,  iron  bakiug-pots 
w^ilh  long  legs,  stewing  and  frying  pans,  sauce-pans  and  gridirons,  tin 
water-buckets  of  vai'ious  sizes,  two  large  "  fagie"  or  water-casks,  an  ac 
companiment  which  no  Cape  wagon  is  ever  without,  two  large  flasks  of 
tar  to  be  subsequently  mixed  with  hard  fat  for  greasing  the  wheels  whea 
required,  six  dozen  pocket  knives,  24  boxes  of  snuff",  50  lbs.  of  tobacco, 
300  lbs.  of  white,  coral,  red,  and  bright  blue  beads  of  various  sizes ; 
three  dozen  tinder-boxes  ;  one  cwt.  of  brass  and  copper  wire,  which  the 
Bechuana  tribes,  especially  those  dwelling  to  the  east,  readily  barter  and 
convert  into  ornaments  for  their  legs  and  arms  ;  two  dozen  sickles,  two 
spades,  two  shovels,  one  pickaxe,  five  superior  An)erican  axes,  two  au- 
gers, one  stock  and  thirty-six  bits,  hatchets,  planes,  drawing  knives,  sev- 
eral coarse  chisels  for  wagon-work,  a  vice,  blacksmith  and  car[)enter'a 
hammers,  and  a  variety  of  other  tools  appertaining  to  both  these  profes- 
sions. A  gross  of  awls,  a  gross  of  sail-needles,  50  hanks  of  sail-twine,  two 
bolts  of  sail-canvas,  several  rolls  of  stout  woolen  cloths,  two  dozen  gown- 
pieces,  six  dozen  IVIalay  handkerchiefs;  thread,  needles,  and  buttons; 
ready-made  jackets  and  trowsers  for  my  people,  several  dozen  coarse 
shirts,  Scotch  bonnets,  and  cocker-nonnys  (as  for  shoes,  colonial  servants 
are  supposed  to  make  them  for  themselves)  ;  a  few  medicines,  arsenical 
soap,  English  and  coarse  Boer's  soap.  Also,  one  large  bell-tent,  one  mat- 
ti'ess  and  bedding,  one  camp-tiible  and  chair,  and  my  canteen,  which 
most  fortunately  I  had  resolved  to  retain  when  disposing  of  my  other 
military  equipments :  I  found  it  a  most  serviceable  and  convenient  ap- 
pendage during  my  five  years'  wanderings  in  Southern  Africa.  My  sad- 
dlery consisted  of  two  English  hunting-saddles,  two  common  saddles  for 
servants,  and  one  pack-saddle  to  convey  venison  to  camp.  My  ordnance 
was  as  folio  W3 :  three  double-barreled  rifles  by  Poi-dey.  William  Moure. 


80  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

While  I  was  laying  in  these  stores,  I  once  or  twice 
amused  myself  by  riding  in  quest  of  rheebok  in  the 
rugged  and  precipitous  high  grounds  lying  immediately 
to  the  south  of  Grahamstown.  On  one  of  these  occa- 
sions I  was  accompanied  by  my  cousin,  Colonel  Camp- 
bell of  the  91st  (one  of  the  bravest  and  most  distin- 
guished officers  in  the  late  Kaffir  war,  and,  withal,  about 
the  best  rifle-shot  and  keenest  sportsman  then  in  the 
colony),  a  brother  of  Captain  Campbell  of  Skipness, 
the  author  of  the  "Old  Forest-Ranger,"  a  work  highly 
approved  among  Indian  ^imrods.  The  rheebok  is  a 
species  of  antelope  generally  found  in  all  mountain  dis- 
tricts throughout  Southern  Africa,  from  Table  Mount- 
ain to  the  latitude  of  Kuruman  or  New  Litakoo.  Of 
the  rheebok  there  are  two  varieties  :  the  rhooye-rhee- 

and  Dickson  of  Edinburgh — the  latter  a  two-grooved,  the  most  perfect 
and  useful  rifle  I  ever  had  the  pleasure  of  using  ;  one  heavy  single-baiTel- 
ed  German  rifle,  carrying  twelve  to  the  pound.  This  last  was  an  old 
companion,  which  had  been  presented  to  me,  when  a  boy,  by  my  dear, 
and  much-lamented  friend  and  brother-sportsman,  the  late  James  Duff, 
of  Innes  House.  With  this  rifle,  about  ten  years  before,  I  had  brought 
down  my  first  stag  on  the  Paps  of  Jura,  and  subsequently  bowled  over 
many  a  princely  master-stag  and  graceful  roebuck  in  his  summer-coat, 
throughout  the  glens  and  forests  of  my  native  land.  The  Purdey  was 
also  a  tried  friend,  both  it  and  the  heavy  German  having  been  with  me 
in  Beveral  campaigns  on  the  plains  and  in  the  jungles  of  Hisdostan.  I 
had  also  three  stout  double-barreled  guns  for  rough  work  when  hard 
riding  and  quick  loading  is  required.  Several  lead-ladles  of  Vcirious 
sizes,  a  whole  host  of  bullet-molds,  loading-rods,  shot-belts,  powder- 
flasks,  and  shooting-belts ;  three  cwt.  of  lead,  50  lbs.  of  pewter  for  hard- 
ening the  balls  to  be  iised  in  destroying  the  larger  game  ;  10, 100  prepar- 
ed leaden  bullets,  bags  of  shot  of  all  sizes,  100  lbs.  of  fine  sporting  gun- 
powder, 300  lbs.  of  coarse  gunpowder,  about  50,000  best  percussion 
caps,  2000  gun-flints,  greased  patches  and  cloth  to  be  converted  into  ti^ 
same.  I  carried  also  several  spai-e  yokes,  yoke-skeys,  whip-sticks, 
rheims,  and  straps,  two  sets  of  spare  linch-pins,  all  of  which  last  articles 
belong  to  the  wagon.  With  the  above,  and  £200  in  cash  which  I  car- 
ried with  me,  I  considered  myself  prejiared  to  midertake  a  journey  of 
at  least  twelve  months  among  Boers  or  Bechuanas,  independent  of 
either. 


.^HEEBOK SOUTH    AFRICAN    FLORA.  31 

bok,  or  red  rheebuck ;  and  the  vaal-rheebok,  or  gray 
rheebuck.  The  range  of  the  vaal-rheebok,  to  the  north- 
ward, ceases  in  the  latitude  of  the  Long  Mountains  ly- 
ing to  tlie  south  of  Kuruman  ;  the  other  variety  is  met 
with  as  far  north  as  the  mountains  in  the  territory  of 
Sichely,  chief  of  the  Baquaines,  about  fifty  miles  to  the 
north  of  the  Kurrichane  range.  Both  of  these  ante- 
lopes frequent  high  and  rocky  mountains.  The  man- 
ner of  hunting  them  is  alike  ;  and,  when  properly  pur- 
sued, I  think  more  nearly  resembles  Scotch  Highland 
deer-stalking  than  the  pursuit  of  any  other  antelope.* 

*  Throughout  the  orassy  mouiitahis  which  the  hunter  must  traverse 
in  following  this  antelope,  his  eye  is  often  gladdened  by  romantic  dells 
and  sparkling  rivulets,  whose  exhilarating  freshness  strongly  and  pleas- 
ingly contrasts  with  the  barren,  rocky  mountain  heights  and  shoulders 
immediately  contiguous.  The  green  banks  and  little  hollows  along  the 
margins  of  these  streamlets  are  adorned  with  innumerable  species  of 
brilliant  jilants  and  flowering  shrubs  in  wild  profusion.  Among  these, 
to  my  eye,  the  most  dazzling  in  their  beauty  were  perhaps  those  love- 
ly heaths  for  which  the  Cape  is  so  justly  renowned.  These  exquisite 
'plants,  singly  or  in  groups,  here  adorn  the  wilderness,  with  a  freedom 
and  luxm-iance  which,  could  the  English  gardener  or  amateur  florist 
behold,  he  might  well  feel  disheartened,  so  infinitely  does  Nature  in 
this  favored  clime  surpass  in  wild  exuberance  the  nurslings  of  his  arti- 
ficial care.  I  remember  being  particularly  struck  with  two  pre-emi- 
nently brilliant  varieties,  the  one  bearing  a  rose-colored,  the  other  a 
blood-red  bell;  and  though  I  regret  to  say  that  I  am  but  a  poor  bota- 
nist, even  in  the  heat  of  the  chace  I  paused,  spell-bound,  to  contem- 
plate with  admiration  their  fascinating  beauty.  Others  with  their 
downy  stems  and  waxen  flowers  of  eveiy  gaudy  hue,  green,  lilac,  and 
various  shades  of  pink,  red,  and  crimson ;  some  of  them  with  brown 
lips  to  the  bell,  flourished  in  the  richer  hollows  of  their  native  glen,  or 
bloomed  wth  equal  loveliness  along  the  arid  cliSs  and  fissures  of  the 
overhanging  rocks.  Almost  equaling  the  heaths  in  beauty,  and  sur- 
passing them  in  the  additional  attraction  of  their  scented  leaves,  a  whole 
liost  of  geraniums  fill  the  balwy  breeze  with  their  delicious  perfume. 
These  are  too  well  known  to  admit  of  any  novelty  in  description  ;  but 
I  may  mention,  en.  passant,  that  they  attain  a  far  larger  growth  in  their 
native  soil  than  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  seeing  in  our  green-housee. 
Small  groups  of  the  lofty,  fair,  conscious-looking  iris  rear  their  graceful 
heads  along  the  edges  of  the  streams.     Their  fairy,  forms  reflected  in 


32  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 


CHAPTER  11. 

Mysteries  of  Inspauuiug — Cape  Wagou  and  its  Furniture — Departure 
from  Grahamstijwu — My  liead  Servant  leaves  me — Impassable  State 
of  the  Roads — iNIy  Wagon  in  a  Fix — Change  of  Eoute — Singular  In- 
stinct of  the  Honey-bird. 

On  the  23d  of  October,  1843,  having  completed  my 
final  arrangements,  and  collected  and  settled  all  out- 

the  waters,  "  they  seem  to  stand  like  guardian  Naiads  of  the  sti-and." 
Another  tribe  of  plants,  which  particularly  delighted  me  from  old  as- 
sociations, though  not  so  striking  as  many  of  its  neighbors  for  perinme 
and  brilliancy,  was  composed  of  several  varieties  of  the  light,  aiiy  fern, 
or  bracken,  which,  whether  gracefully  overshadowing  the  mossy  stones, 
eternally  moistened  by  the  bubbling  spray  of  the  stream,  which  they 
kissed  as  it  danced  along,  or  vailing  the  gray  lichen-clad  masses  of  rock 
in  the  hollows  higher  up,  strongly  reminded  me  of  those  so  conspicuous- 
ly adorning  the  wild  glens  in  the  mountains  of  my  native  land.  Besides 
these,  a  thousand  other  gay  flowers  deck  the  hills  and  plains  wherever 
the  eye  can  fall.  Endless  varieties  of  the  ixia,  the  haemanthus,  the 
amaryllis,  the  marigold,  and  a  number  of  everlasting  flowers,  are  scat- 
tered ai'ound  with  a  lavish  hand ;  also  the  splendid  protea,  whose 
sweets  never  fail  to  attract  swarms  of  the  insect  tribes,  on  which  sev- 
eral bright  kinds  of  fly-catchers,  their  plumage  glancing  in  the  noonday 
sun,  are  constantly  preying.  Further  down  tliese  water-courses,  in  the 
dense,  shady  ravines,  the  jungle  is  ornamented  with  long,  tangled  fes- 
toons of  different  creepers,  among  which  the  wild  jessamine  ranks  fore- 
most, hanging  in  fragrant  garlands  amid  the  shaggy  lichens,  and  bunch- 
es of  bright  orange-colored  mistletoe,  for  which  the  forests  of  Africa,  in 
the  vicinity  of  her  sea-coasts,  are  so  remarkable.  While  touching  on 
the  floral  beauties  of  the  hills  more  immediately  adjoining  the  sea- 
coast,  I  may  remark  that  here  are  the  great  nurseries  for  heaths  and 
geraniums.  As  the  traveler  advances  up  the  country,  these  gradually 
disappear,  and,  together  with  the  animal  kingdom,  the  vegetable  world 
assumes  entirely  new  features;  the  colonial  forest-trees  and  bushes, 
lierbs  and  plants,  being  succeeded  by  a  vast  and  endless  world  of  love- 
liness; unseen,  unknown,  untrodden,  save  by  those  varied  multitudes 
of  stupendous,  curious,  and  beautiful  quadrupeds,  whose  forefathers 
have  roamed  its  mighty  solitudes  from  primeval  ages,  and  with  whom 
I  afterward  became  so  intimately  acquainted. 


CATTLE    IMPOUNDED.  33 

lying  debts,  the  weather,  %Yhich  had  been  wet  and 
stormy  for  many  days  past,  assuming  a  more  settled 
appearance,  I  resolved  to  "inspan"  and  "trek,"  which 
the  reader  will  bear  in  mind  mean  to  yoke  and  march. 
I  accordingly  communicated  my  intentions  to  my  fol- 
lowers, and  dispatched  my  leader  Carollus  to  the  neigh- 
boring mountains,  where  my  cattle  were  supposed  to 
be  pasturing,  to  bring  them  up.  He  expended  the  great- 
er part  of  the  day  in  searching  for  them  in  vain  about 
their  wonted  feeding-ground  :  at  length,  late  in  the  aft- 
ernoon, lie  chanced  to  meet  a  comrade,  who  informed 
him  that  the  oxen  he  was  seeking  were  safely  lodged  in 
the  "skit-kraal"  or  pound,  Colonel  Somerset  of  "Ours*' 
having  detected  them  in  the  act  of  luxuriating  in  a  field 
of  green  forage.  This  pleasing  intelligence  demanded 
my  immediate  attendance  at  the  skit-kraal,  where,  by 
a  disimbursement  of  95.,  1  obtained  their  release. 

Having  secured  my  oxen,  my  next  business  was  to 
find  my  servants,  who  were  all  missing.  Long,  as  I 
expected,  was  found  gallantly  assisting  the  dark-eyed 
heroine  of  the  mangle,  and  Kleinboy  and  Cobus  were 
discovered  in  a  state  of  brutal  intoxication,  stretched 
on  the  greensward  in  front  of  one  of  the  canteens,  along 
with  sundry  other  wagon-drivers  and  Hottentot  Venus- 
es,  all  in  the  same  glorious  condition,  having  expended 
on  liquor  the  pay  which  they  had  extracted  from  me  in 
advance  on  the  plea  of  providing  themselves  with  nec- 
essaries. Drunk  as  they  were,  Carollus,  who  was  so- 
ber, managed  to  allure  them  to  the  wagons,  and.  Long 
assisting,  the  inspanning  commenced.  As  no  man  whc 
has  not  visited  the  Cape  can  form  any  idea  of  the  man 
ner  in  which  this  daily  operation  is  performed,  it  wi!I 
here  le  necessary  to  explain  it,  and  to  say  a  few  more 
words  concerning  the  structure  of  a  wagon 

B2 


84  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

The  Cape  wagon  is  a  large  and  powerful,  yet  loosely- 
constructed  vehicle,  running  on  four  wheels.  Its  ex- 
treme length  is  about  eighteen  feet,  its  breadth  varying 
from  three  and  a  half  to  four  feet ;  the  depth  of  the 
sides  is  about  two  feet  six  inches  in  front,  but  higher 
toward  the. back  of  the  wagon.  All  along  the  sides 
two  rows  of  iron  staples  are  riveted,  in  which  are  fas- 
tened the  boughs  forming  the  tent,  which  arches  over 
the  wagon  to  a  height  of  five  feet,  with  an  awning  of 
Caff're  mat,  and  a  strong  canvas  sail  over  all,  with 
"  fore-clap"  and  "  after-clap,"  which  is  the  colonial 
name  for  two  broad  canvas  curtains,  that  form  part  and 
parcel  of  the  sail,  and  hang  in  the  front  and  rear  of  the 
wagon,  reaching  to  within  a  few  inches  of  the  ground. 
In  the  front  is  placed  a  large  chest  occupying  the  ex- 
treme breadth  of  the  wagon,  on  which  the  driver  and 
two  passengers  of  ordinary  dimensions  can  sit  abreast. 
This  is  called  the  fore-chest,  and  is  secured  from  sliding 
forward  by  two  buffalo  rheiras,  or  strips  of  dressed  hide, 
placed  across  the  front  of  it,  and  secured  to  the  sides. 
A  similar  chest  is  fastened  in  like  manner  to  the  rear 
of  the  wagon,  which  is  called  the  after-chest.  Along 
the  sides  of  the  wagon  and  outside  of  it  are  two  longer 
and  narrower  chests  called  side-chests.  These  are  sup- 
ported by  two  horizontal  bars  of  hard  w^ood  riveted  to 
the  bottom  of  the  wagon.  The  side-chests  are  very 
convenient  for  holding  tools,  and. all  manner  of  odds  and 
ends  too  numerous  to  mention.  The  fore  and  after 
chests  are  likewise  extremely  useful  for  containing 
clothing,  ammunition,  and  a  thousand  small  articles  in 
daily  use.  Along  the  sides  of  the  tent  are  suspended 
rows  of  square-cut  canvas  bags,  called  side-poekcts,  in 
which  the  traveler  keeps  his  hair-brushes  and  combs, 
razors,  knives,  tooth-brushes,  soap,  towels,  or  any  thing 


THE    CAPE    WAGON.  3^ 

else  which  he  may  wish  to  have  at  hand.  1  used  to 
devote  one  to  contain  my  luncheon,  which  often  con- 
sisted of  a  slice  of  elephant's  trunk. 

The  traveler  sleeps  upon  a  sort  of  cot,  termed  a  "  car- 
dell."  This  cardell  is  a  light,  strong,  oblong  frame, 
about  eight  feet  in  length,  and  occupying  the  breadth 
of  the  wagon.  It  is  bored  all  round  with  small  holes, 
through  which  strips  of  hide  are  interlaced,  forming  a 
sort  of  net-work  on  which  the  mattress  rests.  This  cot 
is  slung  across  the  wagon,  and  is  attached  with  thongs 
to  the  bows  of  the  tent,  its  elevation  being  regulated 
by  the  cargo,  which  is  carefully  stowed  away  beneath 
it  in  the  body  of  the  wagon.  Suspended  underneath 
the  hind  part  of  the  vehicle  is  a  strong  wooden  framo« 
work  called  the  trap,  on  which  the  pots  and  gridirons 
are  lashed  during  a  march.  The  wagon  is  steered  by 
a  pole,  called  the  dissel-boom,  to  the  end  of  which  is 
fastened  the  trek-tow,  a  stout  rope  formed  of  raw  buf- 
falo-hide. It  is  pulled  by  a  span,  or  team,  consisting 
of  twelve  oxen,  which  draw  the  wagon  by  yokes  fas- 
tened along  the  trek-tow  at  regular  intervals  by  means 
of  strips  of  raw  hide.  Passing  through  each  end  of  the 
yoke,  at  distances  of  eighteen  inches  from  one  another, 
are  two  parallel  bars  of  tough  wood  about  eighteen  inch- 
es in  length  ;  these  are  called  yoke-skeys.  In  inspan- 
ning^  the  yoke  is  placed  on  the  back  of  the  neck  of  the 
ox,  with  one  of  these  skeys  on  either  side,  and  toward 
the  ends  are  notches  in  which  is  fixed  the  strap,  made 
of  twisted  hide ;  this,  passing  under  the  neck  of  the  ani- 
mal, secures  him  in  the  yoke. 

Besides  these  straps,  each  pair  of  oxen  is  strongly 
coupled  by  the  buffalo  rheims,  which  are  used  in  catch- 
ing and  placing  them  in  their  proper  order  preparatory 
to  inspanning  them  :  a  rheim  is  a  long  strip  ol  prepared 


36  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

hide  with  a  noose  at  the  end  :  it  is  made  either  of  ox  or 
buffalo  hide,  and  is  about  eight  feet  long.  A  wagon  is 
also  provided  with  a  tar-bucket,  two  powerful  iron  chains 
which  are  called  the  rheim-chains,  and  a  large  iron  drag 
called  the  rheim-schoen  ;  also  the  invariable  whip  and 
jambok  ;  the  former  consisting  of  a  bamboo  pole  upward 
of  twenty  feet  in  length,  with  a  thong  of  about  twenty- 
five  feet,  to  the  end  of  which  is  sewn  with  "rheim-pys," 
or  strips  of  dressed  steinbok-skin,  the  "after-slock,"  and 
to  this  again  is  fastened  the  "  fore-slock,"  corresponding 
with  the  little  whip-cord  lash  of  the  English  coachman. 
The  "  fore-slock,"  about  which  the  wagon-drivers  are 
very  particular,  is  about  a  yard  in  length,  and  is  formed 
of  a  strip  of  the  supple  skin  of  some  particular  variety 
of  antelope  prepared  in  a  peculiar  manner.  The  skins 
of  only  a  few  species  of  antelopes  are  possessed  of  suf- 
ficient tougliness  for  this  purpose.  Those  most  highly 
prized  among  the  colonists  are  the  skins  of  the  harte- 
beest,  koodoo,  blesbok,  and  bushbuck ;  when  none  of 
these  are  to  be  obtained,  they  use  the  skin  of  a  he- 
goat,  which  is  very  inferior.  The  colonial  wagon- 
driver  wields  this  immense  whip  with  great  dexterity 
and  grace.  As  he  cracks  it  he  produces  a  report  nearly 
equal  to  that  of  a  gun,  and  by  this  means  he  signals  to 
his  leader,  who  is  perhaps  herding  the  oxen  at  the  dis- 
tance of  a  mile,  to  bring  them  up  when  it  is  time  to 
inspan. 

The  "jambok"  is  another  instrument  of  persuasion, 
indispensable  in  the  outfit  of  every  Cape  wagon.  It  is 
made  of  the  thick  tough  hide  either  of  the  white  rhinoc- 
eros or  hippopotamus.  Its  length  is  from  six  to  seven 
feet ;  its  thickness  at  the  handle  is  about  an  inch  and  a 
half,  and  it  tapers  gradually  to  the  point.  These 
"  iamboks"  are  exceedingly  tough  and  pliant,  and  ar^ 


INSPAKNING.  37 

capable  of  inflicting  most  tremendous  chastisement 
upon  the.  thick  hides  of  sulky  and  refractory  oxen. 
Those  manufactured  from  the  skin  of  the  hippopotamus 
are  very  much  superior  to  those  of  the  rhinoceros,  being 
naturally  of  a  much  tougher  quality.  If  properly  pre- 
pared, one  of  these  will  last  for  many  years.  A  smaller 
description  of  "jambok"  is  manufactured  for  the  benefit 
of  horses,  and  may  be  seen  in  the  hands  of  every  horse- 
man in  the  colony. 

When  the  leader  brings  up  the  oxen  to  the  wagon  to 
be  inspanned,  the  wagon-driver,  if  possible,  sends  an- 
other Hottentot  to  his  assistance,  especially  if  any  of 
the  oxen  in  the  span  happen  to  be  young  or  refractory. 
These,  armed  with  a  huge  "jambok"  in  one  hand,  and 
a  handful  of  stones  in  the  other,  one  on  either  flank, 
with  shouts,  yells,  and  imprecations,  urge  forward  the 
unwilling  team  toward  the  yokes,  where  the  driver  is 
standing  with  the  twelve  long  buffalo  rheims  hanging 
on  his  left  arm,  pouring  forth  a  volley  of  soothing 
terms,  such  as,  "Ah !  now,  Scotland  !  Wo  ha,  Blau- 
berg  I  you  skellum,  keer  dar  Carollus  for  Blauberg,  ye 
stand  somar  da,  ich  wichna  wha  yo  hadachta  ist." 
(Turn  there  for  Blauberg ;  you  stand  there  in  an  ab- 
sent state,  I  do  not  know  where  your  ideas  are.) 
"  Holland,  yon  ould  INIyfooty  !  ("  Myfooty"  is  a  com- 
mon Hottentot  term,  which  I  would  defy  even  them- 
selves to  construe.  The  Dutch  word  "  somar,"  men- 
tioned above,  is  also  a  word  to  which  I  think  I  could 
challenge  the  most  learned  schoolmaster  in  the  colony 
to  attach  any  definite  meaning.  It  is  used  both  by 
Boers  and  Hottentots  in  almost  every  sentence;  it  is 
an  answer  to  every  question  ;  and-  its  meanings  are 
endless.)  "  Slangfelt,  you  neuxel  I"  (Snak</icld,  you 
humbug !)     "  Wo  ha,   now,   Creishmann  !    (Crocked 


38 


ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 


ma-n.)  "Orlam,  you  verdomde  Kind,  vacht  un  bidgte, 
icli  soil  you  krae."  "  Civilized  !  you  d — d  child;  wait 
a  bit,  I'll  serve  you  out.)  "  Vitfoot,  you  duivel  I  slahm 
dar  fur  Vitfoot,  slahm  ihm,  dat  he  barst !"  (Whitefoot, 
you  devil !  flog  there  Whitefoot,  flog  him  till  he  bursts.) 
"  Englandt,  you  ould  ghroote-pench  I  Ah  now  !  Wo 
ha  !  Ye  dat  so  lowe  ist  in  die  shwor  plach,  und  dharum 
so  vees  at  inspanningi  Vacht  un  bidgte,  ich  soil  a 
plach  for  you  aitsuch.  Ye  iob  da  for  nett  so  as  ye  will, 
mar  ich  soil  you  arter  bring,  whar  ich  kann  you  mach 
hke  baikam."  (England,  you  old  big  paunch!  Ah 
now !  Wo  ha !  You  who  are  so  lazy  in  the  heavy 
place,  and  nevertheless  so  vicious  at  inspanning.  Wait 
a  little.  I  shall  seek  ovit  a  place  for  you  !  You  tramp 
there  in  front,  exactly  as  you  please ;  but  I  will  yoke 
you  further  back,  where  I  can  reach  you  with  facility.) 
This  is  said  in  allusion  to  "England's"  having  lately 
been  in  the  habit  of  being  yoked  in  the  front  of  the 
team ;  and  if  it  is  very  long,  the  driver  can  not  reach 
the  leading  oxen  with  his  whip  without  descending 
from  the  box,  and,  therefore,  when  a  fore-ox  becomes 
lazy,  he  is  yoked  further  back  in  the  team,  that  he  may 
have  the  full  benefit  of  the  persuasive  "  fore-slock." 

While  the  driver's  tongue  is  pouring  (orth  this  flow 
of  Hottentot  eloquence  with  amazing  volubility,  his 
hands  and  feet  are  employed  with  equal  activity  ;  the 
former,  in  throwing  the  open  noose  of  the  rheim,  lasso- 
like, over  the  horns  of  each  ox,  and  drawing  it  tight, 
round  them  as  he  catches  him ;  the  latter  in  kicking 
the  eyes  and  noses  of  those  oxen  which  the  jamboks 
and  shouts  of  the  leaders  behind  have  driven  too  far  in 
upon  him.  At  this  moment  "  Blauberg,"  who  is  an  old 
offender,  and  who  acquired  in  early  youth  the  practice 
which  he  has  never  relinquished  of  bolting  from  the 


A   REFRACTORY    OX.  39 

team  at  the  moment  of  inspanning,  being  this  day  un- 
Dsually  lively,  not  having  had  any  severe  work  for  some 
weeks,  suddenly  springs  round,  notwithstanding  Klein- 
boy,  well  aware  of  his  propensities,  has  got  his  particu- 
lar rheim  firmdy  twisted  round  his  hand  ;  and  havnig 
once  got  his  tail  where  his  head  ought  to  have  been, 
and  thus  deprived  Kleinboy  of  all  purchase  over  him, 
he  bounds  madly  forward,  heedless  of  a  large  sharp 
stone  with  which  one  of  the  leaders  salutes  him  in  the 
eye.  By  his  forward  career,  Carollus  is  instantly  dashed 
to  the  ground  ;  and  Kleinboy,  who  has  pertinaciously 
grasped  the  rheim  in  the  vain  hope  of  retrieving  the 
matter,  is  dragged  several  yards  along  the  ground-  and 
eventually  relinquishes  the  rheim,  at  the  same  time 
losing  a  good  deal  of  the  outer  bark  of  his  unfortunate 
hand.  Away  goes  Blauberg  in  his  headlong  course, 
tearing  frantically  over  hill  and  dale,  his  rheim  flying 
from  his  horns  like  a  streamer  in  the  wind.  His  course 
lies  right  across  the  middle  of  the  Cape-corps  barracks, 
where  about  forty  or  fifty  riflemen  who  are  lounging 
about,  parade  being  over,  rush  to  intercept  his  course, 
preceded  by  a  pack  of  mongrel  curs  of  every  shape  and 
size,  but  in  vain.  Blauberg,  heedless  of  a  shower  of 
sticks  and  stones  hurled  at  his  devoted  head,  charges 
through  the  midst  of  them,  nor  is  he  recovered  for  the 
space  of  about  two  hours. 

The  rest  of  the  team,  seeing  the  driver  sprawling  on 
the  ground,  as  a  matter  of  course  follow  Blauberg's  ex- 
ample :  instantly  wheeling  to  the  right  and  left  about, 
away  they  scamper,  each  selecting  a  course  for  himself, 
some  with  and  others  without  the  appendage  of  the 
streamers.  The  Hottentots,  well  aware  that  it  w'ill 
be  useless  to  follow  Blauberg  in  the  usual  way,  as  he 
would  probably  lead  them  a  chase  of  four  or  five  miles, 


40  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

now  adopt  the  most  approved  method  usually  practiced 
in  such  cases.  They  accordingly  drive  out  a  small 
troop  of  tamer  oxen,  with  which  they  proceed  in  quest 
of  the  truant.  This  troop  they  cunningly  induce  Mr. 
Blauberg  to  join,  and  eventually  return  with  him  to 
the  wagon,  the  driver,  with  pouting  lips  and  the  sweat 
running  down  his  brow,  pouring  forth  a  torrent  of  threat- 
ened vengeance  against  the  offending  Blauberg.  The 
inspanning  is  then  once  more  commenced  as  before ; 
and  Blauberg,  being  this  time  cautiously  placed  in  a 
central  position,  well  wedged  up  by  the  other  oxen, 
whereby  he  is  prevented  from  turning  about,  is  lassoed 
with  the  strongest  rheim,  and  firmly  secured  to  the 
steady  old  ox  who  has  purposely  been  driven  up  beside 
him.  The  twelve  oxen  are  soon  all  secureljr  yoked  in 
their  proper  places;  the  leader  has  made  up  his  "  fore- 
tow,"  which  is  a  long  spare  rheim  attached  round  the 
horns  of  each  of  the  fore  or  front  oxen,  by  which  he  leads 
the  team,  and  inspanning  is  reported  to  be  accomplished. 
I  omitted  to  mention  that  the  two  fore-oxen,  and  the 
two  after-oxen,  which  are  yoked  one  on  either  sid^.  of 
the  "  dissel-boom"  or  pole,  are  always  supposed  to  be 
the  steadiest,  most  intelligent,  and  tractable  in  the 
team.  The  two  fore-oxen  in  particular,  to  be  right 
good  ones,  require  a  combination  of  excellences,  as  it 
is  indispensable  for  the  safety  of  the  wagon  that  they 
thoroughly  understand  their  duty.  They  are  expect- 
ed, unguided  by  reins,  to  hold  the  rarely-trodden  roads 
which  occur  throughout  the  remoter  parts  of  the  colony 
either  by  day  or  night;  and  so  well  trained  are  these 
sagacious  animals,  that  it  is  not  uncommon  to  meet 
with  a  pair  of  fore-oxen  which  will,  of  their  own  accord, 
hold  the  "  spoor"  or  trade  of  a  single  wagon  wliiph  has 
perhaps  crossed  a  plain  six  months  previously. 


THE    JOURNEY    BEGUN.  41 

In  dangerous  ground,  however — where  the  narrow 
road  winds  through  stones  and  rocks,  or  along  the  brink 
of  a  precipice ;  or  where  the  road  is  much  intersected 
by  water-courses,  and  bordered  by  the  eternal  hillocks 
raised  by  the  white  ants,  which  are  of  the  consistence 
of  a  brick,  being  formed,  during  damp  weather,  of  clay, 
which  the  sun  afterward  hardens;  or  where  the  "aard- 
varcke,"  or  ant-bear,  with  his  powerful  claws,  has 
undermined  the  road  with  enormous  holes — the  fore- 
oxen,  however  trustworthy,  should  never  be  left  to  their 
own  devices,  but  the  leader  should  precede  them,  lead- 
ing by  the  tow.  This  safe  and  highly  necessary  pre- 
caution is,  however,  rarely  practiced  by  the  ruffianly 
Hottentots  if  the  "  baas"  or  master  is  not  present,  these 
worthies  preferring  to  sit  still  and  smoke  their  pipes  or 
play  their  violins  during  the  march  to  performing  their 
duty,  thus  frequently  exposing  their  master's  property 
to  imminent  peril.  It  is  thus  that  more  than  half  the 
capsizes,  broken  axle-trees,  broken  dissel-booms,  and 
smashed  cap-tents,  daily  occur  throughout  the  colony. 
All  being  now  in  readiness,  and  some  pots  and  spades, 
which  the  Hottentots,  as  a  matter  of  course,  had  omit- 
ted to  stow  away  in  their  proper  places,  being  securely 
lashed  on  the  trap  and  to  the  sides  of  the  wagon,  the 
illustrious  Kleinboy  brandishes  his  huge  whip,  and, 
cracking  it  with  a  report  which  loudly  reverberates 
throughout  the  walls  and  houses  of  the  Cape-corps  bar- 
racks, shouts  out,  with  stentorian  lungs,  "  Trek,  trek, 
you  duivels  !  'Rhure  y'lla  dar  vor,  you  skellums  !  Ane 
spoor  trap,  you  neuxels !  Tabelberg,  you  ould  kring  ! 
Trek,  you  lowe  paar  marys.  Schneeberg,  you  liiwo 
Satan  !  Blauberg,  you  duivel's  kind  I"  (Draw,  draw, 
you  devils  !  Move  yourselves  forward  there,  you  skel- 
lums I     Tramp  all  in  the  same  track,  you  humbugs' 


42  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

Table  Mountain,  you  old  ring !  Draw,  you  lazy  troop 
of  mares  !  Snow  Mountain,  you  lazy  Satan  !  Blue 
Mountain,  you  child  of  the  devil !)  At  the  same  mo- 
ment  he  catches  the  refractory  Blauberg  the  most  ter- 
rific wipe  round  the  ribs  with  his  fore-slock,  accom- 
panied by  a  sharp  report  like  the  discharge  of  a  pistol, 
upon  which  a  cloud  of  blue  hair  is  seen  to  fly  from  the 
ox,  and  a  long  red  streak,  down  which  the  blood  copi- 
ously flows,  denotes  the  power  of  the  weapon  the  driv- 
er so  mercilessly  wields  over  the  backs  of  his  horny 
team.  At  last  the  huge  and  heavily-laden  wagon  is 
in  motion,  and  rolls  lightly  along  after  the  powerful 
oxen,  which  on  level  ground  seem  scarcely  to  feel  the 
yokes  which  lie  across  their  necks. 

Requiring  to  pick  up  several  large  parcels  at  the 
stores  of  some  of  the  merchants  in  the  town,  we  trek- 
ked down  the  main  street  of  Grahamstown,  and  in 
passing  the  shops. of  the  butchers  and  bakers,  laid  in 
a  large  supply  of  bread  and  fresh  meat  for  immediate 
use.  Before  we  had  proceeded  far,  some  sharp-sighted 
Hottentots  came  running  after  us,  calling  out  that  a 
foHntain  of  tiger's  milk  had  started  in  the  stern  of  the 
wagon ;  and  on  halting,  we  discovered  that  several  loose 
cases  of  gin  which  I  had  purchased  for  immediate  use, 
and  which  had  not  been  properly  stowed,  had  sprung 
aleak.  The  Hottentots  seemed  to  regret  amazingly 
the  loss  of  so  much  good  liquor,  and  endeavored  with 
their  ha"nds  to  catch  it  as  it  fell.  Owing  to  the  various 
delays  which  had  occurred  during  the  day,  I  did  not  get 
more  than  half  a  mile  clear  of  Grahamstown  when  the 
sun  went  down  ;  and  there  being  then  no  moon,  I  deem- 
ed it  expedient  to  halt  for  the  night.  We  accordingly 
outspanned;  and  the  Hottentots,  having  secured  the 
oxen  to  the  yokes,  and  picketed  my  two  horses  on  the 


FIRST    day's    march.  43 

wheels,  requested  my  permission  to  return  to  the  town 
to  take  another  farewell  of  their  wives  and  sweet-hearts. 
This  I  did  not  deem  altogether  prudent;  but  knowing 
well  that  if  T  withheld  my  consent  they  would  go  with- 
out it,  I  considered  it  best  to  comply  with  a  good  grace ; 
and  granting  a  general  leave  of  absence,  took  on  my- 
self the  charge  of  the  castle  which  was  destined  to  be 
my  home  during  the  next  five  years. 

The  Hottentots,  strange  to  say,  according  to  their 
promise,  returned  to  the  wagon  during  the  night,  and 
next  morning,  at  earliest  dawn  of  day,  I  roused  them, 
and  we  inspanned.  When  this  was  accomplished,  my 
head  servant  Long  not  appearing,  we  marched  with- 
out him  ;  but  we  had  only  proceeded  about  three  miles 
when  he  managed  to  overtake  us,  the  road  being  hilly 
and  very  soft,  owing  to  the  recent  rains.  On  coming 
up  and  recovering  his  breath,  he  expressed  himself 
very  much  disgusted  at  my  starting  without  him,  when 
I  took  the  liberty  of  explaining  that  I  expected  my 
servants  to  wait  for  me,  and  not  that  I  should  tarry  for 
them.  Our  progress  was  considerably  impeded  by  the 
bad  state  of  the  roads,  and  at  ten  A.M.  we  halted  for 
breakfast  beside  a  pool  of  rain-water,  having  perform- 
ed a  march  of  about  nine  miles.  Here,  having  out- 
spanned  our  oxen,  we  set  about  preparing  our  gipsy 
breakfast :  one  collected  sticks  for  the  fires,  another 
filled  the  kettles  at  the  adjoining  "  vley,"  while  Long 
and  I  were  busied  in  spreading  the  table  and  dusting 
the  beef-steaks  with  salt  and  pepper. 

Having  permitted  the  oxen  to  graze  for  a  few  hours, 
we  again  inspanned,  holding  the  high  road  for  Somer- 
set ;  and  about  sundown  we  halted  for  the  night  on  the 
farm  o'  a  Mr.  Fichett,  a  great  sheep-farmer,  who  re- 
ce''  ^it   me  hospitably,  and  invited  me  to  dine  with  him. 


44  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

Here  I  met  Captain  Codrington,  who  had  lately  sold 
out  of  the  7th  Dragoons.  Our  march  this  day  lay 
through  a  succession  of  low,  undulating  hills,  richly 
clothed  with  a  variety  of  grasses,  herbs,  and  flowers,  with 
here  and  there  large  patches  of  dwarfish  evergreens.  I 
had  directed  my  Hottentots  to  kraal  the  oxen  that  night, 
with  the  intention  of  making  an  early  start  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  but  the  herd  managed  to  lose  them  in 
tliG  thick  underwood.  They  were,  however,  recovered 
at  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morning,  and,  having 
breakfasted,  I  was  about  to  proceed,  when  Long,  with 
a  face  worthy  of  his  name,  came  up  to  me  with  a  whole 
tissue  of  dire  complaints  about  his  personal  inconven- 
iences, the  most  galling  of  which  appeared  to  be  his 
having  to  sleep  on  the  ground  in  the  tent.  On  my 
friend's  advancing  these  objections,  I  saw  very  plainly 
that  he  was  not  the  man  for  my  work,  as  the  life  before 
us  was  by  no  means  likely  to  be  one  of  luxury ;  so, 
having  made  over  to  him  his  impedimenta,  and  paid 
him  his  month's  wages,  I  wished  him  a  safe  return  to 
Grahamstown. 

It  was  a  lovely  day,  with  a  bright  blue  sky  over 
head,  covered  with  light,  fleecy  clouds,  and  the  trees 
and  shrubs,  freshened  by  the  recent  rains,  emitted  an 
aromatic  perfume.  Having  proceeded  some  miles,  we 
commenced  ascending  the  Zuurberg  range,  where  we 
were  met  by  two  wagons  from  Somerset,  laden  with 
oranges  for  the  Grahamstown  market,  of  which  I  pur- 
chased several  dozen,  and  found  them  excellent.  The 
drivers  of  these  wagons  informed  me  that  the  road  in 
advance  was  almost  impassable,  owing  to  the  recent 
heavy  rains.  Although  their  oxen  were  better  than 
mine,  and  their  wagons  lighter  by  some  thoasaind 
pounds,  they  had  had  great  difliculty  in  coming  on,  and 


STUCK    IN    THE    MUD  45 

they  recommended  me  to  retrace  my  steps,  and,  cross- 
ing the  country,  try  the  other  road  by  De  Bruin's  Poort. 
Notwithstanding  their  remonstrances,  I  resolved  to  push 
on  and  give  it  a  trial. 

About  mid-day  I  outspanned  for  two  hours,  to  let  the 
cattle  graze ;  after  which,  having  proceeded  a  few  miles, 
we  found  the  road  so  cut  up  that  we  were  obhged  to 
abandon  it,  and  trek  along  the  rugged  hill-side,  holding 
a  course  parallel  to  it.  Marching  in  front,  and  sinlving 
up  to  my  ankles  in  mud  at  every  step,  I  endeavored  to 
select  the  hardest  ground,  on  which  the  wagon  might 
follow.  The  ground  now  every  moment  became  worse 
and  worse ;  the  panting  oxen,  straining  every  nerve  to 
keep  the  wagon  in  motion,  and  halting  every  hundred 
yards  to  take  breath.  At  length  the  wheels  suddenly 
sank  deep  into  the  soil,  and  became  immovably  fixed, 
upon  which  we  made  loose  our  shovels  and  pickax,  and 
worked  hard  for  half  an  hour,  clearing  away  the  soil  in 
front  of  and  around  the  wheels  ;  which  being  accom- 
plished, we  rigged  out  a  fore-tow  and  extra  yoke  to  in- 
span  my  two  spare  oxen,  and  then  set  our  whole  four- 
teen to  draw,  but  they  could  not  move  the  wagon  an 
inch.  We  then  lightened  it  of  a  part  of  the  cargo,  and 
after  half  an  hour's  further  labor  we  had  relieved  it  of 
upward  of  three 'thousand  pounds;  but  still  the  oxen, 
notwithstanding  the  most  unmerciful  application  of  both 
whip  and  jambok,  failed  to  move  it.  The  thought  then 
struck  me  of  pulling  it  out  backward  ;  we  accordingly 
cast  loose  the  trek-tow,  and,  having  hooked  on  the  long 
span  or  team  to  the  after  part  of  the  wagon,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  extracting  it  from  its  deep  bed.  We  next 
proceeded  with  much  care  and  trouble  to  stow  away 
the  baggage  which  we  had  removed,  and  the  oxen  being 
again  placed  in  their  position,  we  resumed  our  journey; 


46  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

but,  before  nyc  had  gone  three  hundred  yards,  the  wagon 
again  became  ingulfed,  sinking  into  the  earth  to  such 
a  depth  that  I  half  expected  it  would  disappear  alto- 
gether. The  nave  of  the  wheel  was  actually  six  or 
eight  inches  below  the  surface.  This  put  us  at  our 
wits'  ends,  and  I  began  to  think  that,  if  this  was  to  be 
our  rate  of  traveling,  my  hair  would  be  gray  ere  I 
reached  the  land  of  elephants. 

A  few  minutes  after  this  had  occurred,  another  wagon 
meeting  us  from  Somerset  hove  in  sight,  but  shortly 
stuck  fast  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  us.  Its  owner, 
an  T^nglishman,  an  Albany  transport-rider  or  carrier, 
of  the  name  of  Leonard,  now  came  up  and  requested 
me  to  lend  him  my  oxen  to  assist  him  in  his  difficul- 
ties, which  I  did,  he  promising,  in  return,  to  help  me 
out  of  mine  ;  but  it  was  not  until  unloaded  of  the  en- 
tire cargo  that  they  succeeded  in  extricating  it ;  after 
which,  with  considerable  trouble,  they  came  up  to  us. 
We  now  hookSd  on  to  my  wagon  both  spans,  amount- 
ing to  twenty-six  strong  oxen,  the  drivers  standing  one 
on  either  side,  with  their  whips  ready  at  the  given  sig- 
nal to  descend  upon  the  devoted  oxen.  I  myself,  with 
one  of  the  Hottentots,  armed  with  the  jamboks,  stood 
by  the  after-oxen,  upon  whom,  in  a  dilemma  of  this 
sort,  much  depends.  Every  man  and  beast  being  at 
their  post,  the  usual  cry  of  "  Trek,  trek !"  resounded 
on  all  sides,  accompanied  by  a  torrent  of  unearthly 
yells  and  abusive  epithets  ;  at  the  same  time  the  whips 
were  plied  with  energetic  dexterity,  and  came  down 
with  startling  reports  on  the  backs  of  the  oxen  through- 
out all  parts  of  the  team.  The  twenty-six  oxen,  thus 
urged,  at  the  same  moment  concentrated  their  ener- 
gies, laying  a  mighty  strain  on  the  gear.  Something 
rmmt  yield,  and  accordingly  my  powerful  buffalo  trek- 


A    BAD   FIX.  47 

tow  snapped  asunder  within  a  few  feet  of  the  dissel- 
boom.  The  trek-tow  being  strongly  knotted  together, 
a  second  attempt  was  made,  when  it  again  snapped  in 
a  fresh  place.  We  then  unhooked  the  long  drag-chains 
from  beneath  the  wagon,  wherewith  having  fortified  the 
trek-tow,  we  made  a  third  trial.  The  cunning  oxen, 
having  now  twice  exerted  themselves  in  vain,  and  being 
well  aware  that  the  wagon  was  fast,  according  to  their 
usual  custom,  could  not  be  induced  to  make  any  further 
effort,  notwithstanding  the  wagon-drivers  had  inflicted 
upon  them  about  half  an  hour's  terrific  flogging,  till  the 
sides  of  half  of  them  were  running  down  with  gore.  In 
cases  of  this  sort,  the  oxen,  instead  of  taking  properly 
to  their  Avork,  spring  about  in  the  yoke,  and  turn  their 
tails  round  where  their  heads  should  be,  invariably 
snapping  the  straps  and  yoke-skeys,  and  frequently 
splitting  the  yokes.  In  the  present  instance  my  gear 
did  not  escape  ;  for,  after  battling  with  the  oxen  till  the 
sun  went  down,  and  smashing  the  half  of  my  rheiras, 
straps,  and  skeys,  and  splitting  one  of  my  yokes,  we 
were  obliged  to  drop  it  for  the  night.  We  cast  loose 
the  oxen,  and,  driving  them  up  the  hill-side,  granted 
them  their  liberty  until  morning  ;  and  leaving  our  bro- 
ken gear,  pickaxes,  spades,  and  other  utensils  scattered 
about  the  ground  in  grand  confusion,  tired  and  worn 
out  we  kindled  a  fire,  and  set  about  cooking  our  dinner. 
Leonard  and  his  servants  declared  that  they  had  not 
tasted  any  thing  but  a  little  biscuit  and  coffee  during 
the  last  three  days,  the  Dutchmen  along  their  road 
being  very  unfriendly  and  inhospitable  to  the  English 
transport-riders. 

Next  morning  we  awoke  refreshed  by  sound  slum- 
bers ;  and  having  dispatched  all  the  Hottentots,  except- 
ing one  man,  in  quest  cf  the  oxen,  Leonard  and  I  wero 


48  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

actively  employed  for  two  hours  in  digging  out  and  ofF- 
loading  the  wagon,  after  which  Leonard  and  the  Hot- 
tentot set  about  preparing  the  breakfast,  while  I  pro- 
ceeded to  darn  my  worsted  stockings,  having  had  the 
good  fortune  to  obtain  some  hanks  of  worsted  from  the 
wife  of  a  Scotch  sergeant  in  Grahamstown,  after  vain- 
y  seeking  that  article  in  the  shops  of  all  the  haber- 
dashers in  the  town.  While  we  were  thus  employed, 
Captain  Codrington  and  Mr.  Fichett  rode  up  to  us,  and 
seemed  very  much  amused  at  our  situation.  Having 
drunk  a  cup  of  coftee  with  me,  Fichett  and  Cot\rington 
returned  home,  previously  engaging  me  to  dine  with 
them,  as  I  had  resolved  to  retrace  my  steps  and  try  an- 
other line  of  country.  About  11  A.M.  the  Hottentots 
returned  with  our  oxen,  when,  with  the  united  efforts 
of  the  teams,  we  succeeded  in  extricating  my  now 
lightened  wagon.  The  two  oxen  I  purchased  from 
Thompson,  though  well-favored,  proving  indolent  in  a 
heavy  pull,  I  exchanged  them  with  Leonard  for  the 
liberty  to  pick  any  two  out  of  his  span,  giving  him  a 
sovereign  to  boot.  His  team  consisted  of  twelve  tough 
little  red  Zoolah  oxen,  from  the  district  of  Natal,  which, 
like  the  Albany  cattle,  are  termed  "  Zuur-feldt."  This 
colonial  phrase  is  applied  to  all  oxen  bred  and  reared 
near  the  sea-coast,  in  districts  where  the  majority  of 
the  grass  is  sour.  Those  from  about  the  frontiers  of 
the  colony,  or  any  where  beyond  the  Orange  River, 
are  termed  "  Sweet-feldt"  oxen.  The  Zuur-feldt  cat- 
tle possess  a  superiority  over  the  Sweet-feldt  as  trek- 
oxen,  inasmuch  as  they  thrive  on  any  pasture,  whereas 
the  latter  die  if  detained  more  than  a  few  days  in  Zuur- 
feldt  districts.  Leonard's  account  of  the  road  before 
me  was  so  bad,  his  wagon  having  been  upset  four  times 
on  the  preceding  day,  that  I  resolved  to  put  about,  and 


THE    HONEY-BIRD.  49 

adopt  the  route  through  De  Bruin's  Poort,  which  had 
been  recommended  to  me  by  the  drivers  of  the  Somer- 
set orange-wagons.  By  this  route  I  should  avoid  Som- 
erset, and  pass  through  the  village  of  Cradock.  My 
plans  at  this  time  were,  in  the  first  instance,  to  proceed 
direct  to  the  Thebus  Flats,  where  black  wildebeest  and 
springbok  were  reported  to  abound ;  and  thence  to 
march  upon  Colesberg,  a  village  on  the  frontiers,  where 
I  expected  to  meet  my  cousin.  Colonel  Campbell,  of  the 
91st,  by  whose  advice,  in  a  great  measure,  I  intended 
to  be  guided  in  my  future  movements. 

We  now  reloaded  my  wagon,  made  all  fast,  and  hav- 
ing put  every  thing  in  order,  Leonard  and  I  journeyed 
together  to  Fichett's  farm,  where  I  once  more  took  up 
my  quarters  for  the  night.  While  actively  busied  with 
my  oxen,  I  saw  to-day,  for  the  first  time,  the  honey- 
bird.  This  extraordinary  little  bird,  which  is  about  the 
size  of  a  chaffinch,  and  of  a  light  gray  color,  will  inva- 
riably lead  a  person  following  it  to  a  wild-bees'  nest. 
Chattering  and  twittering  in  a  state  of  great  excite- 
ment, it  perches  on  a  branch  beside  the  traveler,  en- 
deavoring by  various  wiles  to  attract  his  attention;  and 
having  succeeded  in  doing  so,  it  flies  lightly  forward  in 
a  wavy  course  in  the  direction  of  the  bees'  nest,  alight- 
ing every  now  and  then,  and  looking  back  to  ascertain 
if  the  traveler  is  following  it,  all  the  time  keeping  up 
an  incessant  twitter.  When  at  length  it  arrives  at  the 
hollow  tree  or  deserted  white-ants'  hill  which  contains 
the  honey,  it  for  a  moment  hovers  over  the  nest,  point- 
ing to  it  with  its  bill,  and  then  takes  up  its  position  on 
a  neighboring  branch,  anxiously  awaiting  its  share  of 
the  spoil.  When  the  honey  is  taken,  which  is  accom- 
plished by  first  stupefying  the  bees  by  burning  grass  at 
the  entrance  of  their  domicile,  the  honey-bird  will  often 

Vol.  L— C 


50  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

lead  to  a  second  and  even  to  a  third  nest.  The  per- 
son thus  following  it  ought  to  whistle.  The  savages 
in  the  interior,  while  in  pursuit,  have  several  charmed 
sentences  which  they  use  on  the  occasion.  The  wild 
bee  of  Southern  Africa  exactly  corresponds  with  the 
domestic  garden  bee  of  England.  They  are  very  gen- 
erally diffused  throughout  every  part  of  Africa,  bees- 
wax forming  a  considerable  part  of  the  cargoes  of  ships 
trading  to  the  Gold  and  Ivory  Coasts,  and  the  deadly 
district  of  Sierra  Leone,  on  the  western  shores  of  Africa. 
Interesting  as  the  honey-bird  is,  and  though  sw^eet 
be  the  stores  to  which  it  leads,  I  have  often  had  cause 
to  wish  it  far  enough,  as,  when  following  the  warm 
"spoor"  or  track  of  elephants,  I  have  often  seen  the  sav- 
ages, at  moments  of  the  utmost  importance,  resign  the 
spoor  of  the  beasts  to  attend  to  the  summons  of  the 
bird.  Sometimes,  however,  they  are  "  sold,"  it  being  a 
well-known  fact,  both  among  the  Hottentots  and  tribes 
of  the  interior,  that  they  often  lead  the  unwary  pursuer 
to  danger,  sometimes  guiding  him  to  the  mid-day  re- 
treat of  a  grizzly  lion,  or  bringing  him  suddenly  upon 
the  den  of  the  crouching  panther.  I  remember  on  one 
occasion,  about  three  years  later,  when  weary  with  war- 
ring against  the  mighty  elephants  and  hippopotaraoi 
which  roam  the  vast  forests  and  sport  in  the  floods  of 
the  fair  Limpopo,  having  mounted  a  pair  of  unwonted 
shot-barrels,  I  sought  recreation  in  the  humbler  pur- 
suit of  quail-shooting.  While  thus  employed,  my  at- 
tention was  suddenly  invited  by  a  garrulous  honey- 
bird,  which  pertinaciously  adhered  to  me  for  a  consid- 
erable time,  heedless  of  the  reports  made  by  my  gun. 
Having  bagged  as  many  quails  and  partridges  as  I 
cared  about  shooting,  I  whistled  lustily  to  the  honey- 
bird,  and  gave  him  chase:  after  following  him  to  a  dis« 


JOURNEY   RESUMED.  51 

tance  of  upward  of  a  mile,  through  the  open  glades  ad- 
joining the  Limpopo,  he  led  me  to  an  unusually  vast 
crocodile,  who  was  lying  with  his  entire  body  conceal- 
ed, nothing  but  his  horrid  head  being  visible  above  the 
surface  of  the  water,  his  eyes  anxiously  watching  the 
movements  of  eight  or  ten  large  bull  buffaloes,  which, 
in  seeking  to  quench  their  thirst  in  the  waters  of  the 
river,  were  crackling  through  the  dry  reeds  as  they 
cautiously  waded  in  the  deep  mud  that  a  recent  flood 
had  deposited  along  the  edge.  Fortunately  for  the  buf- 
faloes, the  depth  of  the  mud  prevented  their  reaching 
the  stream,  and  thus  the  scaly  monster  of  the  river  was 
disappointed  of  his  prey. 


CHAPTER  ni. 

Fearful  Descent  of  De  Bruin's  Poort — District  lately  deserted  by  Ele 
phauts — Noble  Forest-trees — The  Great  Fish  River — Cunning  Boera 
— Burning  Effects  of  the  Sun — The  Dutch  Noe's  Green  Tea  Oint- 
ment— Skill  of  the  Hottentots  in  '"Tapping  the  Admiral" — Beauti- 
fully wooded  Country — The  Village  of  Cradock — South  African  Cli- 
mate— Countless  Herds  of  Springbok  —  Mynheer  I'ocheter — The 
Way  to  make  a  Friend  on  the  Thebus  Flats — Hendric  Strydom — 
Hunting  for  Springbok — Extraordinary  Migrations  of  these  Antelopes. 

My  "  trek-tow"  having  been  destroyed  during  the 
recent  struggles,  I  was  glad  to  purchase  a  new  one 
from  a  man  named  Mackenzie  in  Fichett's  employ, 
which  he  supplied  me,  together  with  a  strong  thorn- 
wood  yoke,  for  £1.  On  leaving  the  farm  we  proceed- 
ed in  an  easterly  course,  and  struck  into  a  track  which 
in  a  few  hours  led  us  into  the  high  road  leading  from 
Grahamstown  to  Cradock.     Having  followed  this  road 


52  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH  AFRICA. 

for  several  miles,  we  commenced  descending  through 
the  De  Bruin's  Poort,  where  the  road  winds,  in  a  deep, 
narrow,  and  rugged  ravine,  through  dense  ever-green 
underwood,  in  its  descent  to  the  lower  ground  adjacent 
to  the  banks  of  the  Great  Fish  River.  This  poort,  or 
mountain  pass,  the  terror  of  wagon-drivers,  being  at 
all  times  perilous  to  wagons,  was  in  the  present  in- 
stance unusually  dangerous  and  impassable,  the  recent 
heavy  rains  having  entirely  washed  away  the  loose  soil 
with  which  the  colonists  had  been  in  the  habit  of  cm- 
banking  the  permanent  shelves  and  ridges  of  adamant- 
ine rock  over  which  the  wagons  must  necessarily  pass, 
while  they  had,  at  the  same  time,  undermined  an  im- 
mense number  of  large  masses  of  rocks  and  stones  which 
had  hitherto  occupied  positions  on  the  banks  above,  and 
which  now  lay  scattered  along  the  rocky  way,  present- 
ing an  apparently  insurmountable  barrier  to  our  further 
progress. 

As  we  were  the  first  who  had  traveled  this  road  since 
the  late  inundations,  it  had  not  undergone  the  slightest 
repair,  which,  to  have  done  properly,  would  have  re- 
quired the  labor  of  a  week.  Having  halted  the  wag- 
on, and  descended  into  the  ravine  for  an  inspection,  ac- 
companied by  Kleinboy,  I  at  once  pronounced  it,  in  its 
present  state,  to  be  impassable.  Kleinboy,  however, 
well  aware  that  he  would  not  be  called  upon  to  pay  for 
damages,  seemed  to  entertain  a  different  opinion,  evi- 
dently preferring  to  run  all  risks  to  encountering  the 
Herculean  labors  of  rolling  all  these  bowlders  to  one 
side.  Accordingly,  having  made  up  our  minds  to  take 
the  pass,  we  reascended  to  the  wagon,  and  having 
rheimed  or  secured  the  two  hind  wheels  by  means  of 
the  drag-chains,  Kleinboy  took  his  position  on  the  box, 
and  the  wagon  commenced  its  perilous  descent,  I  follow- 


A  PERILOUS    DESCENT.  53 

ing  in  the  firm  expectation  every  moment  of  beholding 
its  destruction.  Jolting  furiously  along,  it  crashed  and 
jumped  from  rock  to  rock ;  at  one  moment  the  star- 
board hind  wheel  resting  on  a  projecting  ledge  of  rock 
several  feet  in  height,  and  the  front  wheel  on  the  same 
side  buried  in  a  deep  hollow,  and  next  moment  the 
larboard  wheels  suddenly  elevated  by  a  corresponding 
mass  of  rock  on  the  opposite  side,  placing  the  wagon  in 
such  a  position  that  it  seemed  as  though  another  inch 
must  inevitably  decide  its  fate.  I  held  my  breath, 
doubting  the  possibility  of  its  regaining  the  horizontal 
position.  Righting  again,  however,  with  fearful  vio 
lence,  it  was  launched,  tottering  from  side  to  side,  down 
the  steep  stony  descent,  and  eventually,  much  to  my 
astonishment,  the  pass  was  won,  and  we  entered  upon 
the  more  practicable  road  beneath. 

I  could  not  help  fancying  how  an  English-built  ve- 
hicle would  have  fared  in  a  similar  situation,  and  how 
a  Brighton  coachman  would  have  opened  his  eyes  could 
he  have  seen  my  Cape  wagon  in  the  act  of  descending 
this  fine  specimen  of  a  colonial  wagon-road,  which  I 
might  aptly  compare  to  the  rugged  mountain-bed  of 
some  Highland  river.  Having  continued  our  journey 
till  within  an  hour  of  sundown,  we  encamped  for  the 
night.  The  country  through  which  we  had  passed  was 
densely  covered  with  one  vast  jungle  of  dwarfish  ever- 
green shrubs  and  bushes,  among  which  the  speck-boom 
was  predominant.  This  species  of  tree,  which  is  one 
of  the  most  abundant  throughout  the  forests  and  jun- 
gles of  Albany  and  Caff"raria,  is  utterly  unserviceable 
to  man,  as  its  pithy  branches,  even  when  dead,  are  un- 
available for  fuel.  It  is,  however,  interesting,  as  con- 
stituting a  favorite  food  of  the  elephants  which,  about 
twenty-hve  years  ago,  frequented  the  whole  of  this 


54  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

country  in  large  herds.  The  foot-paths  formed  through 
successive  ages  by  the  feet  of  these  mighty  animals  are 
still  discernible  on  the  sides  and  in  the  necks  of  some 
of  the  forest-clad  hills,  and  the  skulls  and  larger  bonen 
of  many  are  at  this  moment  bleaching  in  some  of  the 
forest- kloofs  or  ravines  adjacent  to  the  sea  in  Lower 
Albany. 

From  time  immemorial,  these  interesting  and  stupen- 
dous quadrupeds  had  maintained  their  ground  through- 
out these  their  paternal  domains,  although  they  were 
constantly  hunted,  and  numbers  of  them  were  slain,  by 
the  neighboring  active  and  athletic  warriors  of  the  Am- 
aponda  tribes,  on  account  of  their  flesh,  the  ivory  so 
much  prized  among  civilized  nations  being  by  them  es- 
teemed of  no  value,  the  only  purpose  to  which  they 
adapt  it  being  the  manufacture  of  rings  and  ornaments 
for  their  fingers  and  arms.  These  gallant  fellows,  arm- 
ed only  with  their  assagais  or  light  javelins  of  their  own 
manufacture,  were  in  the  constant  habit  of  attacking 
the  gigantic  animals,  and  overpowering  them  with  the 
accumulated  showers  of  their  weapons.  At  length, 
however,  when  the  white  lords  of  the  creation  pitched 
their  camps  on  the  shores  of  Southern  Africa,  a  more 
determined  and  general  warfare  was  waged  against  the 
elephants  on  account  of  their  ivory,  with  the  more  de- 
structive engines  of  ball  and  powder.  In  a  few  years, 
those  who  managed  to  escape  from  the  hands  of  their 
oppressors,  after  wandering  from  forest  to  forest,  and 
from  one  mountain  range  to  another,  and  finding  that 
sanctuary  there  was  none,  turned  their  faces  to  the 
northeast,  and  "trekked"  or  migrated  from  their  an- 
cestral jungles  to  lands  unknown.  A  small  remnant, 
however,  remained  ;  and  these,  along  with  a  few  buffa- 
loeSj  koodoos,  and  one  solitary  black  rhinoceros,  still 


FOREST-TREES.  55 

found  shelter  in  the  vast  jungles  of  the  Zuurberg  and 
Addo  bush  as  late  as  the  commencement  of  1849. 

When  the  colonists  first  settled  in  Albany,  they  ^Yere 
in  the  habit  of  carrying  on  a  very  lucrative  traffic  with 
the  chiefs  of  the  neighboring  Amaponda  tribes,  from 
whom  they  obtained  large  quantities  of  ivory  in  barter 
for  beads,  brass  wire,  and  other  articles  of  little  value. 

Throughout  the  jungles  of  Albany  and  CafFraria,  but 
more  particularly  in  the  deep  kloofs  and  valleys,  many 
varieties  of  noble  forest-trees  are  found  of  considerable 
size  and  great  beauty,  several  of  which  are  much  prized 
by  the  colonists  on  account  of  their  excellence  for  wag- 
on-work and  house-building ;  of  these  I  may  enumerate 
the  yellow-wood  tree,  the  wild  cedar,  the  stink-wood 
tree,  and  the  black  and  the  white  iron-wood  tree.  The 
two  latter  are  remarkable  for  toughness  and  durability, 
and  are  much  used  in  the  axle-trees  of  wagons.  The 
primitive  system  of  wooden  axle-trees  has  of  late  years 
been  superseded  in  some  districts  by  patent  iron  ones; 
many,  however,  still  use  and  prefer  the  old  wooden 
axle-trees,  because  wagons  having  those  made  of  iron, 
in  steep  descents,  run  too  freely  after  the  team,  to  the 
injury  of  the  two  after-oxen ;  and,  further,  because  a 
wooden  axle,  if  broken,  may  be  replaced  in  any  remote 
part  of  the  country  ;  whereas  a  damaged  iron  axle-tree 
can  not  be  mended  even  by  the  skillful  smiths  through 
out  the  towns  and  villages  of  the  colony.  The  iron 
axles  are  especially  apt  to  be  broken  in  cold  frosty 
mornings  during  the  winter,  when  a  wagon,  immediate- 
ly after  being  set  in  motion,- has  to  pass  through  rough 
ground  before  the  friction  of  the  wheel  has  imparted  to 
it  a  certain  degree  of  heat. 

On  the  following  day  a  march  of  four  hours  brought 
us  to  the  bank  of  the  Great  Fish  River,  bavins:  crossed 


56  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

an  extensive  open  glade  covered  with  several  varieties 
of  low  shrubs  and  grasses  and  rough  heather.  Here, 
for  the  first  time,  I  saw  and  shot  the  black  koran,  an 
excellent  game-bird,  allied  to  the  bustards,  so  abundant 
throughout  South  Africa.  Its  weight  corresponds  with 
that  of  our  old  cock  grouse  ;  its  legs  and  neck  are  long 
like  those  of  the  ostrich  ;  its  breast  and  back  are  gray, 
and  its  wings  black  and  white.  They  are  every  where 
to  be  met  Avith  where  the  country  is  at  all  level  and 
open  :  when  disturbed,  they  take  wing  and  fly  over  the 
plain  in  circles,  much  after  the  manner  of  the  green 
plover  or  peewit,  uttering  a  harsh  grating  cry.  The 
best  method  of  getting  within  range  is  to  use  a  horse, 
and  ride  round  them  in  a  circle,  gradually  contracting 
it.  To  this  open  glade,  whose  name  I  have  forgotten, 
the  Nimrods  about  Grahamstown  often  resort,  and  in- 
dulge in  the  exciting  sport  of  wild  boar  and  porcupine 
hunting.  This  "  chasse"  is  conducted  on  bright  moon- 
light nights,  with  a  gathering  of  rough  strong  dogs,  the 
hunters  being  armed  with  a  bayonet  or  spear,  with 
which  they  dispatch  the  quarry  when  brought  to  bay. 
I  found  the  Great  Fish  River,  as  I  had  anticipated, 
still  flooded  and  impassable  to  wagons.  It  Avas,  how- 
ever, ebbing  rapidly,  and  apparently  would  be  fordable 
on  the  morrow.  During  the  previous  heavy  rains, 
which  were  said  not  to  have  been  equaled  for  twenty- 
seven  years,  it  had  risen  to  an  immense  height,  and 
every  where  overflowed  its  banks.  That  part  of  the 
bank  which  formed  the  descent  and  ascent  of  the  for- 
mer wagon-road  was,  as  a  matter  of  course,  entirely 
swept  away,  a  steep  wall  on  either  side  of  the  river  re- 
maining in  its  stead,  flanked  by  a  bank  of  deep  and 
slimy  mud.  An  immense  deal  of  manual  labor  would 
consequently  be  necessary  to  form  a  road,  by  cutting 


FISH    RIVER    DRIFT.  57 

down  these  walls,  and  clearing  a  channel  through  the 
mud,  before  a  wagon  could  take  the  drift.  Accordingly, 
the  work  being -considerable,  I  thought  the  sooner  we 
set  about  it  the  better  ;  so,  having  cooked  and  partaken 
of  a  hot  tiffin,  we  cast  loose  the  pickaxes,  spades,  and 
shovels,  stripped  to  our  shirts,  and,  half  wading,  half 
swimming,  succeeded  in  crossing  the  river,  where,  hav- 
ing labored  hard  till  sundown,  and  constructed  a  famous 
piece  of  road,  we  considered  our  task  on  that  side  as 
completed.  Early  on  the  following  morning  we  re- 
sumed our  labors  on  our  side  of  the  river,  and  about  10 
A.M.  our  path  was  finished.  A  party  of  Boers  now 
hove  in  sight  with  three  wagons,  which  they  outspan- 
ned  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  drove  their  oxen  into  the 
neighboring  hills  to  graze.  Presently  observing  us  pre- 
paring to  inspan,  they  beckoned  to  me  to  hold  a  confer- 
ence with  them  across  the  stream,  the  object  of  which 
was  to  endeavor  to  dissuade  me  from  taking  the  drift 
until  their  oxen  should  return,  under  pretense  of  assist- 
ing us,  but,  in  reality,  fearing  that  we  would  stick  fast, 
and  that  they  should  be  forced  to  assist  us,  since,  in 
the  event  of  our  was^on  sticking  before  their  oxen  came 
up,  they  would  be  unable  to  pass  us  until  we  were  ex- 
tricated. I  saw  the  move  with  half  an  eye,  and  in- 
stantly ordered  my  men  to  inspan  with  all  possible  dis- 
patch ;  when  we  got  safely  through  the  river  and  up 
the  opposite  bank,  which  was  much  more  than  I  had 
anticipated. 

It  was  a  fearful  pull  for  the  poor  oxen ;  the  wagon 
stuck  fast  three  times,  and  was  within  a  hair's  breadth 
of  being  upset.  The  water  just  came  up  to  the  bottom 
boards,  but,  fortunately,  did  not  wet  any  part  of  the 
cargo.  The  Boers  seemed  much  surprised  at  the  suc- 
cess of  our  venture,  as  they  always  entertain  thii  idea 

C  2 


58  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

that  an  Englishman's  oxen  must  be  inferior  to  theirs, 
Dut  this  idea  is  grossly  erroneous,  the  reverse  being  in- 
variably the  case.  A  Boer  will  hardly  ever  flog  his 
oxen  when  they  require  it,  which,  though  it  may  shock 
the  ear  of  my  fair  reader,  my  regard  to  truth  compels 
me  to  state  is  indispensable,  oxen  being  of  a  strange, 
stubborn  disposition,  perfectly  different  from  horses. 
This,  at  a  future  period,  I  had  cause  to  ascertain  prac- 
tically, when,  forsaken  by  my  followers  on  the  borders 
of  the  Kalihari  desert,  I  was  necessitated  daily  to  in- 
span  and  drive  my  own  oxen,  which  I  did,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  a  small  Bushman,  for  a  distance  of  about  a 
thousand  miles. 

It  is  a  common  thing  to  see  a  Boer's  oxen  stick  fast 
on  a  very  moderate  ascent,  with  not  above  1000  lbs. 
or  2000  lbs.  weight  in  the  wagon,  where  an  Albany 
transport-rider  would  pass  him  with  a  load  of  6000  lbs 
behind  his  bullocks  ;  and  it  is  by  no  means  uncommon 
to  see  these  Albany  men  discharging  a  load  of  even 
8000  lbs.  weight  at  the  stores  of  the  Grahamstown 
merchants,  which  they  have  transported  with  a  team 
of  fourteen  oxen  through  the  hilly  country  between  that 
town  and  Algoa  Bay.  After  crossing  the  river,  the 
road  continued  good  for  about  three  miles,  but  after 
that  we  found  it  washed  away  in  many  places.  Once 
we  stuck  fast,  and  were  obliged  to  dig  the  wagon  out, 
and  broke  our  trek-tow  three  times  in  extracting  it. 
In  other  places  we  Vvere  obliged  to  leave  the  usual  road, 
and  cut  a  new  way  through  the  thorny  trees  with  our 
axes,  the  road  being  cut  up  with  water-courses  six  and 
eight  feet  deep.  At  mid-day  we  outspanned  for  two 
hours,  to  rest  the  oxen,  on  the  farm  of  a  Mr.  Corrie. 
Here  we  met  a  "  smouse,"  or  trader,  coming  down  the 
country  with  a  drove  of  about  a  hunJ^cd  and  fifty  vcr^ 


FIRST    SIGHT    OF    SPRINGBOKS.  59 

large,  well-conditioned  oxen.  He  offered  me  a  span  at 
£3  ahead;  they  were  worth  £12  each  in  England.  I 
felt  the  sun  rather  oppressive. 

About  two  P.M.  we  inspanned,  and,  having  ascend- 
ed a  long  and  very  steep  hill,  we  entered  upon  a  new 
line  of  country,  of  wide,  undulating,  open  plains  of  rank, 
waving  grass,  dotted  over  with  the  mud-built  habita- 
tions of  white  ants.  We  held  on  for  three  hours  after 
sundown,  and  halted  for  the  night  at  an  uninhabited 
dilapidated  mansion,  in  which  we  lighted  a  fire  and 
cooked  our  dinner.  Having  secured  our  oxen  on  the 
yokes,  instead  of  permitting  them  to  graze  during  the 
night,  we  were  enabled  to  march  next  morning  some 
time  before  the  break  of  day ;  and  as  the  rising  sun 
gradually  unvailed  the  landscape,  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  beholding  for  the  first  time  several  small  herds  of 
springboks  scattered  over  the  plain.  This  exquisiteh 
graceful  and  truly  interesting  antelope  is  very  general 
ly  diffused  throughout  Southern  Africa,  and  is  more  nu- 
merous there  than  any  other  variety ;  it  is  very  nearly 
allied  to  the  ariel  gazelle  of  Northern  Africa,  and  in  its 
nature  and  habits  reminded  me  of  the  saisin  of  India. 
A  few  herds  of  springboks  are  still  to  be  met  with  on 
the  plains  in  the  district  of.  Somerset,  on  which  I  had 
now  entered ;  but  as  this  is  one  of  the  nearest  districts 
to  the  abodes  of  men  where  this  species  remains,  it  is 
of  course  much  hunted,  and  is  annually  becoming  scar- 
cer. The  gentlemen  farmers  of  the  surrounding  dis- 
tricts keep  a  good  breed  of  greyhounds,  with  which  they 
have  excellent  sport  in  pursuing  these  antelopes.  On  be- 
holding the  springboks  T  instantly  directed  my  two  horses 
to  be  saddled,  and,  desiring  the  Hottentots  to  proceed 
to  a  farm  in  advance  and  there  outspan.  T  rode  forth 
with  Cobus,  takin<r  mv  two-c^ruoved  rifle  to  en  leavor 


60  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

to  obtain  a  shot.  I  found  them  extremely  wild,  and, 
after  expending  a  considerable  deal  of  ammunition,  firing 
at  distances  of  from  six  to  eight  hundred  yards,  I  re- 
joined my  wagons,  which  I  found  drawn  up  on  a  Dutch- 
man's farm,  and  left  the  antelopes  scathless. 

Owing  to  exposure  to  the  sun  while  working  at  the 
Fish  River  drift  on  the  preceding  days,  and  also  to  hav- 
ing discarded  coat,  waistcoat,  and  neckcloth  since  leav- 
ing Grahamstown,  my  arms,  neck,  and  shoulders  were 
much  swollen,  and  severely  burned  "arid  blistered,  caus- 
ing me  much  pain,  and  at  night  preventing  me  from 
sleeping.  The  kind-hearted  noe,  or  lady  of  the  farm, 
commiserating  my  condition,  and  wishing  to  alleviate 
my  pain,  informed  me  that  she  had  an  excellent  re- 
ceipt for  sunburn,  which  she  had  often  successfully 
administered  to  her  husband  and  sons.  One  of  the 
chief  ingredients  of  the  promised  balsam  was  green  tea, 
which  was  to  be  reduced  to  powder,  of  which  she  direct- 
ed me  to  send  her  a  little  by  one  of  my  servants.  I  do 
not  know  what  the  other  components  might  have  been, 
but  I  well  know  that,  on  applying  the  ointment  to  the 
raw  and  swollen  parts,  it  stung  mo  as  though  it  had 
been  a  mixture  of  salt  and  vinegar,  giving  me  intense 
pain,  and  causing  me  to  hop  and  dance  about  like  one 
demented,  and  wish  the  Boer  noe  and  her  ointment  in 
the  realms  of  Pluto,  to  the  infinite  delight  and  merri- 
ment of  my  sympathizing  Hottentots. 

A  peculiar  expression  in  the  eyes  of  these  gentlemen, 
and  their  general  demeanor,  inclined  me  to  think  that 
•their  potations  had  consisted  of  some  more  generous 
beverage  than  water  during  the  morning's  march ;  and 
on  examining  one  of  my  liquor  cases,  I  found  that  I 
was  minus  a  bottle  and  a  half  of  gin  since  yesterday.* 

•  This  is  a  common  failing  among  tbis  monkey-faced  race,  ninetecB 


TAPPING    THE    ADMIRAL.  61 

After  breakfast  we  continued  our  march,  when  I  was 
again  tempted  to  saddle  up  and  give  chase  to  a  troop 
of  springboks,  one  of  which  I  shot :  we  continued  our 
march  until  sundown,  when  we  halted  beside  a  pool  of 
rain  water.  Here  we  found  some  young  Boers  and 
Hottentots,  belonging  to  a  neighboring  farm,  actively 
employed  in  digging  out  a  nest  of  wild  bees ;  several 
of  them  had  their  eyes  nearly  closed  from  the  stings 
which  they  had  received.  The  spoils  of  the  "  bike," 
however,  repaid  th*eir  pains  by  twenty  pounds  of  honey. 
On  approaching  the  nest,  a  large  cluster  of  bees  chose 
my  sunburned  arm  as  a  place  of  rendezvous,  from  which 
I  could  not  remove  them  until  I  had  obtained  a  bunch 
of  burning  grass. 

in  every  twenty  Hottentots  being  drunkards,  and  they  have,  moreover, 
not  the  slightest  scruple  of  conscience  as  to  who  is  the  lawful  proprie- 
tor of  the  liquor,  so  long  as  they  can  get  access  to  it.  No  locks  nor 
bolts  avail ;  and  thus  on  the  Bay-road,  the  high  road  between  Algoa 
Bay  and  Grahamstown,  a  constant  system  of  tapping  the  admiral  is 
maintained.  In  this  pursuit,  these  worthies,  from  long  practice,  have 
anived  at  considerable  skill,  and  it  is  usually  accomplished  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner:  If  the  liquor  is  in  a  cask,  having  removed  one  of  the 
hoops,  a  gimlet  is  inserted,  when  a  bucket  or  two  of  spirit  having  been 
drawn  off,  the  aperture  is  filled  with  a  plug,  and,  the  hoop  being  re- 
placed, no  outward  mark  is  visible.  The  liquor  thus  stolen,  if  missed, 
and  inquiries  issued,  is  very  plausibly  set  down  to  the  score  of  leakage. 
A  great  deal  of  gin  arrives  in  Grahamstown  in  square  case-botlles,  pack- 
ed in  slight  red  vyooden  cases.  To  these  the  Hottentots  devote  marked 
attention,  owing  to  the  greater  facility  of  getting  at  them.  Having 
carefully  removed  the  lid  and  drained  several  of  the  bottles,  either  by 
drinking  them  or  pouring  their  contents  into  the  water-casks  belong- 
ing to  the  wagons,  they  eitlier  replace  the  liquor  with  water  and  re- 
pack the  case  again  as  they  found  it,  or  else  they  break  the  bottles 
which  they  have  drained  and  replace  them  in  the  case,  at  the  eamo 
time  taking  out  a  quantity  of  the  chaff  in  which  they  have  been  pack- 
ed. This  is  done  to  delude  the  merchant  into  the  idea  that  the  loss  of 
liquor  occuiTed  owing  to  breakage  from  original  bad  packing.  Tlia 
risk  and  damage  entailed  on  the  proprietors  of  wagons  and  ovs-ners  of 
merchandise  from  the  drivers  indulging  in  such  a  system,  on  tlie  pr& 
•  carious  roads  of  the  colony,  may  bo  imagined. 


62 


ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 


Our  march  on  the  following  day  lay  through  a  mount* 
ainous  country  abounding  with  rich  pasture,  covered 
in  many  places  with  picturesque  thorny  mimosa  trees, 
detached  and  in  groups,  imparting  to  the  country  the 
appearance  of  an  English  park.  In  the  forenoon  we 
halted  for  a  couple  of  hours  in  a  broad,  well-wooded 
hollow,  where  I  found  abundance  of  bustard.  Guinea- 
fowl,  black  koran,  partridge,  and  quail.  At  sundown 
we  encamped  at  a  place  calbd  Daka-Boer's  Neck,  on 
high  ground,  where  the  road  crosses  a  bold,  precipitous 
mountain  range.  The  mountain  road,  along  which  we 
trekked  the  following  morning,  was  extremely  steep 
and  rugged:  on  my  right,  high  above  me,  I  observed 
a  herd  of  upward  of  a  hundred  horses,  consisting  chiefly 
of  brood-mares  and  their  foals,  pasturing  on  the  hill  side. 
Three  more  marches  brought  us  to  the  village  of  Cra- 
dock,  which  wo  reached  at  dawn  of  day  on  Saturday 
morning  the  2d  of  October,  having  twice  again  had 
occasion  to  cross  the  Groat  Fish  River. 

The  country  through  which  we  passed  was  bold, 
mountainous,  and  barren,  excepting  along  the  banks  of 
the  river,  which  were  adorned  with  groves  of  mimosa_ 
willow,  and  white  thorn,  clad  with  a  profusion  of  rich 
yellow  blossoms  yielding  a  powerful  and  fragrant  per- 
fume. It  was  now  the  spring  of  the  year,  and,  this 
season  having  been  peculiarly  favored  with  rains,  a  ver- 
nal freshness  robed  these  sometimes  arid  regions,  and  I 
consider  that  I  first  saw  them  under  very  favorable  cir- 
cumstances. On  the  northern  bank,  at  one  of  the  drifts 
where  we  crossed  the  Fish  River,  I  observed  the  dry 
dung  in  an  old  sheep-kraal  burning.  It  was  smolder- 
ing away  after  the  manner  of  Scotch  peat ;  and  on  my 
return  from  the  interior  about  eighteen  months  after,  on 
my  way  to  Grahamstown,  the  dunghill  was  still  burn- 


DESCRIPTION    OP    CRADOCK.  63 

ing,  and  had  been  burning  all  the  time,  and  nevertheless 
only  two  thirds  were  consumed.  The  immense  time 
which  these  dunghills  require  to  burn  is  very  singular. 
It  is  quite  a  common  occurrence  for  one  of  them  to 
burn  for  three  or  four  years;  and  I  have  been  informed 
by  several  respectable  farmers  of  Lower  Albany,  on 
whose  veracity  I  could  rely,  that  in  that  district  one  of 
these  "  middens,"  as  they  are  termed  in  Scotland,  burn- 
ed for  seven  years  before  it  was  consumed.  The  heavi- 
est and  most  protracted  rains  seem  to  affect  them  but 
little,  rarely,  if  ever,  extinguishing  them. 

Cradock  is  a  pretty  little  village,  situated  on  the 
eastern  bank  of  the  Great  Fish  River-,  by  which  it  is 
supplied  with  water  and  the  gardens  irrigated.  It  is 
inhabited  by  Dutch  and  English,  and  a  goodly  sprink- 
ling of  Hottentots,  Mozambiques,  and  Fingoes.  The 
principal  street  is  wide,  and  adorned  with  shady  trees 
on  every  side,  among  which  I  observed  lots  of  peach- 
trees  covered  with  green  fruit.  The  houses  are  largo 
and  well  built,  generally  of  brick,  some  in  the  old  Dutch 
and  some  in  the  English  style.  Each  house  has  got  a 
considerable  garden  attached  to  it:  these  are  tastefully 
laid  out,  and  contain  all  the  vegetables  most  used  in 
an  English  kitchen.  Apples,  pears,  oranges,  quinces, 
nectarines,  and  grapes  abound.  The  vision  is  bounded 
on  every  side  by  barren,  arid,  rocky  hills  and  mount- 
ains. I  marched  right  through  the  town,  and  out- 
spanned  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  beyond  it,  and  after 
breakfast  I  re-entered  the  village  on  foot  to  purchase 
necessaries  for  myself  and  servants.  Numbers  of  Dutch 
Boers,  with  their  wives  and  families,  were  assembling 
to  hold  their  Nachmahl  or  sacrament. 

About  11  A. INT.  we  inspanned,  and  continued  oar 
journey  about  five  miles,  crossing  the  G-roat  Fi.-h  River 


64  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

twice,  when  I  halted  for  some  hours  upon  its  bank  on 
account  of  my  oxen,  the  grass  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
town  having  been  very  bare.  This  was  the  fifth  and 
last  time  that  we  crossed  the  Great  Fish  River.  Here 
about  a  dozen  wagons  passed  us  on  their  way  to  Cra- 
dock,  containing  Dutch  Boers  with  their  fraus  and 
families.  Several  of  these  were  horse-wagons,  drawn 
by  eight  and  ten  horses  in  each  wagon,  harnessed  two 
abreast,  and  drawing  by  straps  across  their  breasts  in- 
stead of  collars.  These  straps  are  generally  manufac- 
tured of  the  skin  of  the  lion  when  it  is  to  be  obtained, 
that  being  reckoned  by  the  Boers  to  be  tougher  and 
more  enduring  than  any  other.  These  long  teams  are 
well  managed  and  dexterously  driven  by  the  Boers,  one 
man  holding  the  reins  and  another  the  whip.  In  the 
afternoon  I  again  inspanned,  and  continued  my  march 
till  sundown.  The  road  since  I  left  Cradock  had  im- 
proved, and  was  now  fine  and  level,  leading  through  a 
wide,  open,  undulating  strath  along  the  northeastern 
bank  of  the  Fish  River.  The  surrounding  country  pre- 
sented in  every  direction  endless  chains  of  barren,  stony 
mountains ;  the  bold  range  of  the  Rhinaster  Bergs  stand- 
ing forth  in  grand  relief  to  the  westward ;  not  a  tree 
to  be  seen,  except  a  few  thorny  mimosas  in  some  of  the 
more  favored  hollows  of  the  hills  and  along  the  banks  of 
the  river ;  the  country  covered  with  grass  and  heaths, 
dwarfish  shrubs,  and  small  thorny  bushes. 

The  sun  during  the  day  was  powerful,  but  a  cool 
breeze  prevailed  from  the  south.  Ever  since  I  left 
Grahamstown  the  weather  had  been  very  pleasant,  and 
seldom  oppressively  hot,  saving  in  the  low-lying  hol- 
lows where  the  breezes  are  not  felt.  South  Africa, 
though  its  climate  is  dry  and  sultry,  is  nevertheless 
very  salubrious,  being  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  the 


CLIMATE MYNHEER    BESTA.  65 

sea,  off  which  a  healthy  breeze  prevails  throughout  the 
greater  part  of  the  year.  At  certain  seasons,  ho\yev- 
er,  northerly  breezes  prevail:  these  are  termed  by  the 
colonists  "  hot  winds."  On  these  occasions  the  wind 
feels  as  though  it  were  blowing  off  a  furnace  in  a  glass 
foundery,  being  heated  in  its  passage  over  the  burning 
sands  of  the  Great  Kalihari  desert. 

In  Cradock  I  engaged  another  Hottentot,  named 
Jacob,  in  the  capacity  of  after-rider.  Having  followed 
the  course  of  the  Fish  River  for  a  distance  of  about 
nine  miles,  our  road  mclined  to  the  right  in  a  more 
northerly  direction,  and  we  here  bade  that  stream  a 
final  adieu.  Two  more  marches  through  a  succession 
of  wide,  undulating,  sterile  plains,  bounded  on  all  sides 
by  bleak  and  barren  mountains,  brought  us  to  the 
borders  of  the  immense  flats  surrounding  the  Thebus 
Mountain. 

Having  followed  along  the  eastern  bank  an  insignifi- 
cant little  stream  dignified  by  the  appellation  of  the 
Brak  River,  I  arrived  at  the  farm  of  Mynheer  Besta, 
a  pleasant,  hospitable  Boer,  and  a  field  cornet  of  the  dis- 
trict, which  means  a  sort  of  resident  magistrate.  Here 
we  halted  to  breakfast,  and  Besta,  who  is  a  keen  sports- 
man, entertained  me  w^ith  various  anecdotes  and  ad- 
ventures which  had  occurred  to  him  during  the  earlier 
days  of  his  sporting  career  in  Albany,  where  he  had 
once  resided.  He  informed  me  that  the  black  wilde- 
beest and  springbok  were  extremely  numerous  on  the 
plains  immediately  beyond  his  farm,  which  made  me 
resolve  to  saddle  up  and  go  in  quest  of  them  as  soon  as 
I  had  breakfasted.  The  flesh  of  these  animals  forms 
one  of  the  chief  articles  of  food  among  the  Boers  and" 
their  servants  who  inhabit  the  districts  in  wliich  they 
are  abundant;  and  the  skulls  and  horns  of  hundreds 


66 


ADVENTURES    IN   SOUTH    AFRICA. 


of  black  wildebeest  and  springbok  were  to  be  seen  piled 
in  heaps  and  scattered  about  the  out-houses  of  the 
farm.  Adjoining  the  house  was  a  well-watered  garden, 
with  very  green  trees  and  corn  in  it,  which  formed  a 
most  pleasing  contrast  with  the  surrounding  barren 
country. 

Having  directed  my  men  to  proceed  to  the  next  farm 
along  the  banks  of  the  Brak  River,  I  rode  forth  with 
Cobus  and  held  a  northerly  course  across  the  flats.  I 
soon  perceived  herds  of  springbok  in  every  direction, 
which,  on  ray  following  at  a  hard  gallop,  continued  to 
join  one  another  until  the  whole  plain  seemed  alive  with 
them.  Upon  our  crossing  a  sort  of  ridge  on  the  plain, 
I  beheld  the  whole  country,  as  far  as  my  eye  could 
reach,  actually  white  with  springboks,  with  here  and 
there  a  herd  of  black  gnoos  or  wildebeest,  prancing  and 
capering  in  every  direction,  whirling  and  lashing  their 
white  tails  as  they  started  off  in  long  files  on  our  ap- 
proach. Having  pursued  them  for  many  hours,  and 
fired  about  a  dozen  shots  at  these  and  the  springboks 
at  distances  of  from  four  to  six  hundred  yards,  and 
only  wounded  one,  which  I  lost,  I  turned  my  horse's 
head  for  the  camp.  The  evening  set  in  dark  and  low- 
ering, with  rattling  thunder  and  vivid  flashes  of  light- 
ning on  the  surrounding  hills.  I  accordingly  rode  hard 
for  my  wagon,  which  I  just  reached  in  time  to  escape 
a  deluge  of  rain  which  lasted  all  night.  The  Brak 
River  came  down  a  red  foaming  torrent,  but  fell  very 
rapidly  in  the  morning.  This  river  is  called  Brak  from 
the  flavor  of  its  waters,  v/hich,  excepting  in  the  rainy 
season,  are  barely  palatable.  ]My  day's  sport,  although 
unsuccessful,  was  most  exciting.  I  did  not  feel  much 
mortified  at  ray  want  of  success,  for  I  was  well  aware 
that  recklessly  jaging  after  the  game  in  the  manner  in 


HERDS    OF    SPRINGBOKS.  67 

which  I  had  been  doing,  although  highly  exhilarating, 
was  not  the  way  to  fill  the  bag.  Delight  at  beholding 
so  much  noble  game  in  countless  herds  on  their  native 
plains  was  uppermost  in  my  mind,  and  I  felt  that  at 
last  I  had  reached  the  borders  of  those  glorious  hunt- 
ing-lands, the  accounts  of  which  had  been  my  chief  in- 
ducements to  visit  this  remote  and  desolate  corner  of 
the  globe;  and  I  rejoiced  that  I  had  not  allowed  the 
advice  of  my  acquaintances  to  influence  my  move- 
ments. 

As  I  rode  along  in  the  intense  and  maddening  excite- 
ment of  the  chase,  I  felt  a  glad  feeling  of  unrestrained 
freedom,  which  was  common  to  me  during  my  career 
in  Africa,  and  which  I  had  seldom  so  fully  experienced ; 
and  notwithstanding  the  many  thorns  which  surround- 
ed my  roses  during  the  many  days  and  nights  of  toil 
and  hardship  which  I  afterward  encountered,  I  shall 
ever  refer  to  those  times  as  by  far  the  brightest  and 
happiest  of  my  life.  On  the  following  morning  I  rode 
through  the  Bralc  River  to  visit  Mynheer  Pocheter,  with 
the  intention  of  buying  some  horses  from  him,  but  he 
had  none  to  dispose  of  I  met  the  old  fellow  coming  in 
from  the  "feldt,"  with  his  long  single-barreled  roer  and 
enormous  flint-lock,  with  the  usual  bullock's-horn  pow- 
3er-flask  dangling  at  his  side.  He  had  gone  out  with 
his  Hottentot  before  the  dawn  of  day,  and  taken  up  a 
position  in  a  little  neck  in  an  vmeven  part  of  the  plain, 
through  which  the  springbok's  were  in  the  habit  of  pass- 
ing before  sunrise.  In  places  of  this  description  the 
Boers  build  little  watch ing-placcs  with  flat  stones,  from 
which  they  generally  obtain  a  shot  every  morning  and 
evening,  and  at  such  distances  as  to  insure  success 
To  use  their  own  words,  "  they  secure  a  buck  from  these 
places,  skot  for  skot,"  meaning  a  buck  for  every  shot. 


68  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

On  this  occasion,  however,  our  friend  had  been  un- 
fortunate,  returning  without  venison,  although  I  had 
heard  the  loud  booming  of  his  "  roer"  a  short  time  pre- 
viously. The  report  made  by  these  unwieldy  guns  of 
the  Boers,  charged  with  a  large  handful  of  coarse  gun- 
powder, is  to  be  heard  at  an  amazing  distance  through 
the  calm  atmosphere  of  these  high  table-lands;  and 
during  my  stay  on  the  flats  adjoining  Thebus  Mount- 
ain, scarcely  an  hour  elapsed  at  morning,  noon,  or  eve, 
but  the  distant  booming  of  some  Dutchman's  gun  sa- 
luted the  ear. 

Mynheer  Pocheter  asked  me  in  to  take  some  break 
fast  with  him,  which  I  did,  Cobus  acting  as  interpret- 
er, mine  host  not  understanding  a  word  of  English,  and 
Lnot  having  at  that  time  acquired  the  Dutch  language, 
with  which  I  not  long  afterward  became  thoroughly 
conversant.  After  breakfast  I  took  leave  of  Mynheer 
Pocheter,  and  having  directed  the  wagon  to  strike  out 
of  the  direct  road  to  Colesberg,  and  hold  across  the 
country  to  the  abode  of  a  Boer  named  Hendric  Stry- 
dom,  where  the  game  was  represented  to  me  as  being 
extremely  plentiful,  I  again  rode  forth,  accompanied  by 
Cobus,  to  wage  war  with  the  springboks.  We  prick- 
ed over  the  plain,  holding  an  easterly  course,  and  found, 
as  yesterday,  the  springboks  in  thousands,  with  here 
and  there  a  herd  of  black  wildebeest.  Finding  that 
by  jaging  on  the  open  plain  I  could  not  get  within  four 
or  five  hundred  yards  of  them,  I  left  my  horses  and  after- 
rider,  and  set  off  on  foot  to  a  low  range  of  rocky  hills, 
where  I  performed  two  difficult  stalks  upon  a  spring- 
bok and  a  wildebeest,  both  of  which  I  wounded  severe- 
ly, but  lost.  When  stalking  in  upon  the  springbok 
I  took  off  my  shoes,  and  had  very  great  difficulty  in 
finding  them  again.     I  experienced  great  distress  from 


HUNTING    SPRINGBOKS.  69 

thirst.  The  sun  was  very  powerful,  and,  notwithstand- 
ing the  heavy  rains  of  the  preceding  evening,  a  drop  of 
water  was  nowhere  to  be  found. 

In  the  afternoon  I  came  to  a  pool  of  mud  ;  the  little 
water  it  contained  was  almost  boiling;  I  was,  however, 
most  thankful  to  find  it,  and  tears  of  delight  came  into 
my  eyes  on  discovering  it.  How  trifling  was  this  to 
the  trials  from  thirst  which  I  have  often  since  under- 
gone !  Shortly  after  this  I  fell  in  with  my  servant, 
who,  astonished  at  my  long  absence,  had  come  in 
search  of  me  with  the  horses.  I  was  right  glad  to  fall 
in  with  him,  and,  having  got  into  the  saddle,  I  rode 
hard  across  the  plain  for  my  wagon.  On  my  way  thith- 
er I  took  up  a  position  behind  a  ridge,  and  directed  Co- 
bus  to  "jag"  a  herd  of  springbok  toward  me,  which  he 
did  most  successfully,  sending  upward  of  a  hundred  of 
them  right  in  my  teeth.  I,  however,  was  still  unfor- 
tunate, firing  both  barrels  into  the  herd  without  doing 
any  apparent  injury.  On  reaching  my  wagon,  which 
I  found  outspanned  at  the  desolate  abode  of  Mynheer 
Hendric  Strydom,  I  took  a  mighty  draught  of  gin  and 
water,  and  then  walked,  followed  by  my  interpreter 
carrying  a  bottle  of  Hollands  and  glasses,  to  the  door 
of  Strydom,  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance  of  himself 
and  frau,  and  wearing  the  garb  af  old  Gaul,  in  which 
I  generally  hunted  during  my  first  expedition,  to  the 
intense  surprise  of  the  primitive  Boers.  Shaking  Stry- 
dom most  cordially  by  the  hand,  I  told  him  that  I  was 
a  "  Berg  Scot,"  or  mountain  Scotchman,  and  that  it 
was  the  custom  in  my  country,  when  friends  met,  to 
pledge  one  another  in  a  bumper  of  spirits;  at  the  same 
time,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  I  filled  him  a  brim- 
ming bumper.  This  was  my  invariable  practice  on 
first  meetins:  a  Boer.     I  found  it  a  never-failmor  meth- 


70  A.DVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

od  of  gaining  his  good  will,  and  he  always  replied  that 
the  Scotch  were  the  best  people  in  the  world.- 

It  is  a  strange  thing  that  Boers  are  rather  partial  to 
Scotchmen,  although  they  detest  the  sight  of  an  En- 
glishman. They  have  an  idea  that  the  Scotch,  like 
themselves,  were  a  nation  conquered  by  the  English, 
and  that,  consequently,  we  trek  in  the  same  yoke  as 
themselves ;  and,  further,  a  number  of  their  ministers 
are  Scotchmen.  Hendric  Strydom  was  a  tall,  sun- 
burned, wild-looking  creature,  with  light  sandy  hair, 
and  a  long,  shaggy  red  beard.  He  was  a  keen  hunter, 
and  himself  and  household  subsisted,  in  a  great  meas- 
ure, by  the  proceeds  of  his  long  single-barreled  "roer." 
His  frau  was  rather  a  nice  little  woman,  with  a  fresh 
color,  and  fine  dark  eyes  and  eyebrows,  and  displayed 
her  good  taste  by  taking  a  fancy  to  me ;  but  perhaps 
the  tea  and  coffee  which  she  found  I  bestowed  with  a 
liberal  hand  might  account  for  her  partiality.  These 
were  Boers  of  the  poorer  order,  and  possessed  but  little 
of  this  world's  goods.  Their  abode  was  in  keeping  with 
their  means.  It  was  a  small  mud  cottage,  with  a  roof 
which  afforded  scanty  protection  from  the  heavy  period- 
ical rains.  The  fire  burned  on  the  hearthstone,  and  a 
hole  in  the  roof  served  at  once  for  a  window  and  chim- 
ney. The  rafters  and  bare  mud  walls  were  adorned 
with  a  profusion  of  skins  of  wild  animals,  and  endless 
festoons  of  "  biltongue"  or  sun-dried  flesh  of  game. 
Green  fields  or  gardens  there  were  none  whatever  ;  the 
wild  Karroo  plain  stretched  away  from  the  house  on  all 
sides  ;  and  during  the  night  the  springboks  and  wilde- 
beests pastured  before  the  door. 

The  servants  consisted  of  one  old  Bushman  and  his 
wife,  and  the  whole  of  their  worldly  possessions  were 
an  old  wagon,  a  span  of  oxen,  a  few  milch  cows,  and  a 


HENDRIC    STRYOOM.  71 

small  herd  of  goats  and  sheep.  Strydom's  revenue 
seemed  principally  to  be  obtained  by  manufacturing 
ashes,  with  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  loading  up 
his  wagon  and  trekking  many  days'  journey  into  other 
districts,  where  he  sold  them  to  richer  Boers.  These 
ashes  are  in  great  demand  among  all  the  Boers,  as  be- 
ing an  indispensable  ingredient  in  the  manufacture  of 
soap.  Every  Boer  in  South  Africa  makes  his  own 
soap.  There  is  a  low,  succulent,  green  bush  from 
which  the  ashes  are  obtained,  which  is  only  found  in 
certain  districts,  and  in  these  desolate  plains  it  was  very 
abundant.* 

Strydom,  having  sympathized  with  me  on  my  con- 
tinued run  of  ill  luck,  remarked  that  it  was  quite  a 
common  thing  when  "jaging"  on  the  principle  which  I 
had  followed.  He  said  that  he  was  aware  that  in  hunt- 
ing on  that  system  an  immense  amount  of  ammuni- 
tion was  expended  with  little  profit,  and  that  he,  being 
a  poor  man,  very  rarely  indulged  in  it ;  but  that,  if  I 
would  accompany  him  after  I  had  taken  my  coffee, 
there  being  still  about  two  hours  of  daylight,  he  would 
show  me  his  method,  and  he  thought  it  very  probable 
that  we  should  get  a  buck  that  evening.  Accordingly, 
having  partaken  of  coffee,  Strydom  and  I  stalked  forth 
together  across  the  wild  and  desolate-looking  plain,  fol- 
lowed by  two  Hottentots,  large  herds  of  graceful  spring- 
boks pasturing  on  every  side.  He  placed  me  behind  a 
small  green  bush,  about  eighteen  inches  in  height,  upon 
a  wide  open  flat,  instructing  me  to  lie  flat  on  my  breast, 
and  having  proceeded  some  hundred  yards,  and  taken 

»  Tlie  manner  of  obtaining  this  ash  is  first  to  dig  up  the  bushes  and 
collect  ihera  on  the  plains.  There  they  are  left  until  sufficiently  dry  to 
burn,  when,  a  calm  day  being  selected,  they  are  set  on  fire,  and  the 
ashes  are  collected  and  stowed  away  in  large  sacks  made  of  the  raw 
skins  of  wildebeests  and  zebras,  when  they  are  fit  for  immediate  use. 


72  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

up  a  similar  position,  he  sent  the  Hottentots  round  a 
herd  of  springboks  which  were  feeding  on  the  plain,  to 
endeavor  to  move  them  gently  toward  us.  It  was  a 
very  beautiful  thing  altogether,  and  succeeded  well. 
The  whole  herd  came  on  slowly,  right  toward  where  I 
lay,  until  within  a  hundred  yards,  when  I  selected  a 
fine  fat  buck,  which  I  rolled  over  with  a  ball  in  the 
shoulder.  This  was  the  first  fair  shot  that  I  had  ob- 
tained at  a  springbok  on  these  plains.  I  have  always 
been  reckoned  by  those  who  know  my  shooting  to  be  a 
very  fair  rifle-shot,  whether  standing  or  running,  but  I 
do  not  profess  to  make  sure  work  much  beyond  one 
hundred  and  ten  paces,  or  thereabouts.* 

*  The  springbok  is  so  termed  by  the  colonists  on  account  of  its  pe- 
culiar habit  of  springing  or  taking  extraordinary  bounds,  rising  to  an 
incredible  height  in  the  air,  when  pursued.  The  extraordinary  man- 
ner in  which  springboks  are  capable  of  springing  is  best  seen  when 
they  are  chased  by  a  dog.  On  these  occasions,  away  start  the  herd, 
with  a  succession  of  strange  perpendicular  bounds,  rising  with  curved 
loins  high  into  the  air,  and  at  the  same  time  elevating  the  snowy  folds 
of  long  white  hair  ou  their  haunches  and  along  their  back,  which  im- 
parts to  them  a  peculiar  fairy-like  appearance,  different  from  any  other 
animal.  They  bound  to  the  height  often  or  twelve  feet,  with  the  elas- 
ticity of  an  India-rubber  ball,  clearing  at  each  spring  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  feet  of  ground,  without  apparently  the  slightest  exertion.  In 
performing  the  spring,  they  appear  for  an  instant  as  if  suspended  in  the 
air,  when  down  come  all  four  feet  again  together,  and,  striking  the 
plain,  away  they  soar  again,  as  if  about  to  take  flight.  The  herd  only 
adopt  this  motion  for  a  few  hundred  yards,  when  they  subside  into  a 
light  elastic  trot,  arching  their  graceful  necks  and  lowering  their  noses 
to  the  ground,  as  if  in  sportive  mood.  Presently  pulliug  up,  they  face 
about,  and  reconnoiter  the  object  of  their  alarm.  In  crossing  any  path 
or  wagon-road  on  which  men  have  lately  trod,  the  springbok  invaria- 
bly clears  it  by  a  single  surprising  bound :  and  when  a  herd  of  perhaps 
many  thousands  have  to  cross  a  track  of  the  sort,  it  is  extremely  beau- 
tiful to  see  how  each  antelope  performs  this  feat,  so  suspicious  are  they 
of  the  gi-ound  on  which  their  enemy,  man,  has  trodden.  They  bound 
in  a  similar  manner  when  passing  to  leeward  of  a  lion,  or  any  other 
animal  of  which  they  entertain  an  instinctive  dread. 

The  accumulated  masses  of  living  creatizres  which  the  springboks* 


AN    EARLY    START  73 

Two  days  before  this,  I  brought  down  a  koran  fly- 
ing, with  single  ball.  Our  chances  for  this  evening 
being  now  over,  and  night  setting  in,  I  returned  to  the 
farm  with  Strydom  in  high  spirits. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A  Bustard  shot — Flight  of  Locusts — Quagga  Shooting  in  the  Dark- 
Curious  Mistake — Ostriches — A  Sportsman  napping — Leave  Stry 
dom's  Residence  in  quest  of  Wildebeests — Wildebeest  Shooting — 
Meeting  with  a  Brother  Officer — Proceed  to  Colesberg — Additions  to 
Equipments. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  while  I 
was  yet  in  bed,  Hendric  Strydom  and  his  frau  were 
standing  over  my  fire,  alongside  of  my  wagon,  with  a 
welcome  supply  of  sweet  milk,  and  hurrying  on  the  in- 
dolent Hottentots  to  prepare  my  breakfast,  and  rouse 
their  slothful  master,  the  earliest  dawn  being,  as  he 
affirmed,  the  best  time  to  go  after  the  springboks.  On 
hearing  their  voices,  I  rose,  and,  having  breakfasted, 
we  shouldered  our  "  roers,"  walked  about  a  mile  across 

exhibit  on  the  greater  migrations  is  utterly  astounding,  and  any  trav- 
eler witnessing  it  as  I  have,  and  giving  a  true  description  of  what  he 
has  seen,  can  hardly  expect  to  be  believed,  so  marvelous  is  the  scene. 
They  have  been  well  and  truly  compared  to  the  wasting  swarms  of 
locusts,  so  familiar  to  the  traveler  in  this  land  of  wonders.  Like  them, 
they  coueurae  every  green  thing  in  their  course,  laying  waste  vast  dis- 
tricts in  a  few  hours,  and  ruining  in  a  single  night  the  iruits  of  the  farm- 
er's toil.  The  course  adopted  by  the  antelopes  is  generally  such  as  to 
bring  them  back  to  their  own  country  by  a  route  different  from  that 
by  which  they  set  out.  Thus  their  line  of  march  sometimes  forms 
something  like  a  vast  oval  or  an  e.xteusive  square,  of  which  the  diam 
eter  may  be  some  hundred  miles,  and  the  time  occupied  in  this  migra 
tion  may  vary  from  six  months  to  a  year. 

Vol.  L— D 


74  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

the  plain,  and  took  up  positions  behind  two  very  low 
bushes,  about  three  hundred  yards  apart,  and  instruct- 
ed our  Hottentots  to  endeavor  to  drive  the  springboks 
toward  us.  We  had  two  beats,  but  were  unlucky  both 
times,  each  of  us  wounding  and  losing  a  springbok.  In 
the  evening  we  went  out  again  to  hunt  on  the  same 
principle,  on  a  very  wide  flat  to  the  west  of  his  house, 
where  we  lay  down  behind  very  low  bushes,  in  the 
middle  of  the  bucks.  We  lay  there  on  our  breasts  for 
two  hours,  with  herds  of  springboks  moving  all  round 
us,  our  Hottentots  maneuvering  in  the  distance.  One 
small  troop  came  within  shot  of  me,  when  I  sent  my 
bullet  spinning  through  a  graceful  doe,  which  bounded 
forward  a  hundred  yards,  and,  staggering  for  a  moment, 
fell  over  and  expired.  A  little  after  this,  I  suddenly 
perceived  a  large  paow  or  bustard  walking  on  the  plain 
before  me.  These  birds  are  very  wary  and  difficult  to 
approach.  I  therefore  resolved  to  have  a  shot  at  him, 
and  lay  like  a  piece  of  rock  until  he  came  within  range, 
when  I  sent  a  bullet  through  him.  He  managed,  how- 
ever, to  fly  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  when  he  alight- 
ed ;  and  on  going  up  to  the  place  half  an  hour  after,  I 
found  him  lying  dead,  with  his  head  stuck  into  a  bush 
of  heath. 

Strydom  had  two  family  shots,  and  brought  down 
with  each  a  well-conditioned  buck.  In  high  good- 
humor  with  our  success,  we  now  proceeded  to  gralloch 
or  disembowel  the  quarry  ;  after  which,  each  of  us 
shouldering  a  buck,  we  returned  home  in  heavy  march- 
ing order.  On  the  following  day  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
beholding  the  first  flight  of  locusts  that  I  had  seen  since 
my  arrival  in  the  colony.  We  were  standing  in  the 
middle  of  a  plain  of  unlimited  length,  and  about  five 
miles  across,  when  I  observed  them  advancing:.     On 


A    FLIGHT    OF    LOCUSTS.  75 

they  came  like  a  snow-storm,  flying  slow  and  steady, 
about  a  hundred  yards  from  the  ground.  I  stood  look- 
ing at  them  until  the  air  was  darkened  with  their 
masses,  while  the  plain  on  which  we  stood  became 
densely  covered  with  them.  Far  as  my  eye  could 
reach — east^  west,  north,  and  south — they  stretched  in 
one  unbroken  cloud,  and  more  than  an  hour  elapsed 
before  their  devastating  legions  had  swept  by.  I  was 
particularly  struck  with  this  most  wonderful  and  truly 
interesting  sight ;  and  I  remember  at  the  time  my 
feeling  was  one  of  self-gratulation  at  having  visited  a 
country  where  I  could  witness  such  a  scene.  On  this 
day  aiid  on  the  morrow  Strydom  and  I  continued  to 
wage  successful  war  against  the  springboks.  We  cross- 
ed the  small  stream  called  the  Theljus  River,  and  hunt- 
ed on  the  plains  to  the  east.  On  one  occasion  Hendrio. 
brought  down  two  fat  bucks  at  one  shot,  which  he  as- 
sured me  was  not  an  uncommon  event  with  him. 

On  the  morning  of  the  9th,  Strydom  and  I  having 
resolved  over  night  to  go  in  quest  of  a  troop  of  ostriches 
which  his  Hottentot  reported,  frequenting  the  plains 
immediately  adjacent  to  the  Thebus  Mountain,  we 
started  our  Hottentots  two  hours  before  the  dawn  of 
day ;  and  after  an  early  breakfast  we  saddled  up,  and 
rode  direct  for  the  Thebus  Mountain.  This  remarkable 
mountain,  which  I  shall  ever  remember  as  the  leading 
feature  on  the  plains  where  I  first  really  commenced 
my  African  hunting,  is  of  peculiar  shape,  resembling  a 
cone  depressed  at  the  apex,  and  surmounted  by  a  round 
tower.  It  is  also  remarkable  as  being  considerably 
higher  than  the  surrounding  mountains,  with  which 
the  plains  are  bounded  and  intersected.  As  we  rode 
along,  a  balmy  freshness  pervaded  the  morning  air. 
We  passed  through  herds  of  thousands  of  springboks, 


76  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

with  small  herds  of  wildebeest  scattered  among  them. 
I  fired  two  or  three  very  long  shots  without  success. 
Strydom,  however,  was  more  fortunate.  He  fired  into 
a  herd  of  about  a  hundred  bucks  at  three  hundred  yards, 
and  hit  one  fine  old  buck  right  in  the  middle  of  the  fore- 
head, the  ball  passing  clean  through  his  skull.  We  hid 
him  in  a  hole  in  the  ground,  and  covered  him  with 
bushes,  and  then  rode  on  to  our  Hottentots,  whom  we 
found  waiting  beside  a  small  fountain  in  a  pass  formed 
by  a  wide  gap  in  a  low  range  of  hills,  situated  between 
two  extensive  plains  which  were  thickly  covered  with 
game.  I  took  up  my  position  in  a  bush  of  rushes  in 
the  middle  of  the  pass,  and  remained  there  for  upward 
of  eight  hours,  during  which  our  boys  were  supposed 
to  be  endeavoring  to  drive  the  game  toward  us. 

The  Boer  took  up  the  best  pass  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  to  my  right.  Before  we  had  been  an  hour  at  our 
passes,  the  boys  drove  up  four  beautiful  ostriches,  which 
came  and  stood  within  fifty  yards  of  Strydom,  but, 
alas !  he  was  asleep.  About  this  time  I  was  busy  try- 
ing to  remember  and  practice  a  childish  amusement 
which  once  delighted  me  as  much  as  rifle-shooting — 
namely,  making  a  cap  of  rushes,  when,  on  suddenly 
lifting  up  my  eyes,  I  saw  standing  within  eighty  yards 
of  me  about  a  dozen  beautiful  springboks,  which  were 
coming  up  to  the  pass  behind  me.  I  snatched  up  my 
rifle,  and,  lying  flat  on  my  breast,  sent  a  bullet  through 
the  best  buck  in  the  troop,  smashing  his  shoulder.  He 
ran  about  fifty  yards,  and  fell  dead.  .  I  unfortunately 
left  him  lying  exposed  in  the  path,  the  consequence  of 
which  was  that  three  other  troops  of  springboks,  which 
were  coming  up  as  he  had  come,  were  turned  to  the 
right  about  by  his  carcass. 

It  was  amusing  to  see  the  birds  and  beasts  of  proy 


HUNTING    OSTRICHES.  77 

assembling  to  dispute  tile  carcass  with  me.  First  came 
the  common  black  and  white  carrion  crow,  then  the 
vultures  ;  the  jackals  knew  the  cry  of  the  vultures,  and 
they  too  ca.Tie  sneakmg  from  their  hiding-places  in  the 
rooks  and  holes  of  the  ant-bear  in  the  plains  to  share  in 
the  feast,  while  I  was  obliged  to  remain  a  quiet  spec- 
tator, not  daring  to  move,  as  the  game  was  now  in 
herds  on  every  side  of  me,  and  I  expected  to  see  os- 
triches every  mgnient.  Presently  a  herd  of  wildebeest 
came  thundering  down  upon  me,  and  passed  within 
shot.  I  put  a  bullet  into  one  of  these,  too  far  behind 
the  shoulder,  which,  as  is  always  the  case  with  deer 
and  antelopes,  did  not  seem  to  affect  him  in  the  slight- 
est degree.  In  the  afternoon  we  altered  our  positions, 
and  sent  the  boys  to  drive  the  plain  beside  which  I  had 
been  sitting  all  day.  The  quantity  of  bucks  which 
were  now  before  our  eyes  beat  all  computation.  The 
plain  extended,  without  a  break,  until  the  eye  could 
not  discern  any  object  smaller  than  a  castle.  Through- 
out the  whole  of  this  extent  were  herds  of  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands  of  springboks,  interspersed  with 
troops  of  wildebeest.  The  boys  sent  us  one  herd  of 
about  three  hundred  springboks,  into  which  Strydora 
let  fly  at  about  three  hundred  yards,  and  turned  them 
and  all  the  rest. 

It  was  now  late  in  the  day,  so  we  made  for  home, 
taking  up  the  buck  which  Strydom  had  shot  in  the 
morning.  As  we  cantered  along  the  flats,  Strydom, 
tempted  by  a  herd  of  springboks,  which  were  drawn  up 
together  in  a  compact  body,  jumped  off  his  horse,  and, 
giving  his  ivory  sight  an  elevation  of  several  feet,  let 
drive  at  them,  the  distance  being  about  five  hundred 
yards.  As  the  troop  bounded  away,  we  could  distin- 
guish a  light-colored  object  lying  in  the  short  heath, 


78 


ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRJCA. 


which  he  pronounced  to  be  a  springbok,  and  on  going 
up  we  found  one  fine  old  doe  lying  dead,  shot  through 
the  spine.  This  day,  and  every  day  since  I  arrived  at 
these  flats,  I  was  astonished  at  the  number  of  skeletons 
and  well-bleached  skulls  with  which  the  plains  were 
covered.  Thousands  of  skulls  of  springbok  and  wilde- 
beest were  strewed  around  wherever  the  hunter  turned 
his  eye.  The  sun  was  extremely  powerful  all  day,  but, 
being  intent  on  the  sport,  I  did  not  feel  it  until  I  found 
my  legs  burned  ;  my  dress,  as  usual,  was  the  kilt,  with 
a  gray  stalk ing-c'ap.  On  reaching  home  the  following 
day,  a  large  party  of  natives,  belonging  to  the  chief 
Moshesh,  arrived  on  the  farm.  These  poor  men  were 
traveling  in  quest  of  employment.  Numbers  of  na- 
tives annually  visit  the  colony,  and  work  for  the  Boers, 
making  stone  inclosures  for  their  cattle,  and  large  dams 
or  embankments  across  little  streams  in  the  mouths  of 
valleys,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  water  in  the  rainy 
season  for  the  supply  of  their  flocks  and  herds  during 
the  protracted  droughts  of  summer.  They  are  paid 
for  their  labor  with  young  cows  or  she-goats.  The  re- 
cent rains  having  washed  away  the  embankment  of  a 
dam  situated  in  a  distant  range  of  hills,  on  the  borders 
of  the  farm,  Strydom  engaged  these  men  to  repair  it. 
The  vicinity  of  the  dam  being  a  favorite  haunt  for 
quaggas,  and  it  being  necessary  that  Strydom  should 
go  there  on  the  morrow,  we  resolved  to  hunt  in  the 
neighboring  district,  in  which  were  situated  some  high 
and  rugged  hills.  Accordingly,  next  day,  we  sallied 
forth,  and  I  ascended  to  one  of  their  highest  pinnacles, 
where  I  managed  to  shoot  a  rhode-raebok.  Joining 
Strydom  shortly  afterward,  we  hunted  over  anothei 
range  of  the  same  hills,  where  we  fell  in  with  three 
|uaggas  and  other  game.     Night  was  now  fast  setting 


XIGHT    HL.NThNG.  79 

in,  SO  we  descended  from  the  hills  and  made  for  home. 
As  we  passed  down  we  observed  what  we  took  to  be  a 
herd  of  quaggas  and  a  bull  wildebeest  standing  in  front 
of  us,  upon  which  we  jumped  off  our  horses,  and,  bend- 
ing our  bodies,  approached  them  to  fire. 

It  was  now  quite  darJc,  and  it  was  hard  to  tell  what 
sort  of  game  we  were  going  to  fire  at.  Strydom,  how- 
ever, whispered  to  me  that  they  were  quaggas,  and 
they  certainly  appeared  to  be  such.  His  gun  snapped 
three  times  at  the  wildebeest,  upon  which  they  all  set 
off  at  a  gallop.  Strydom,  who  was  riding  my  stallion, 
let  go  his  bridle,  when  he  ran  in  to  fire,  taking  advant- 
age of  which  the  horse  set  off  at  a  gallop  after  them 
I  then  mounted  "  The  Cow,"  and  after  riding  hard  for 
about  a  mile  I  came  up  to  them.  They  were  now 
standing  still,  and  the  stallion  was  in  the  middle  of 
them.  I  could  make  him  out  by  his  saddle  ;  so,  jump- 
ing off  my  horse  in  a  state  of  intense  excitement,  I  ran 
forward  and  fired  both  barrels  of  my  two-grooved  rifle 
into  the  quaggas,  and  heard  the  bullets  tell  loudly. 
They  then  started  off,  but  the  stallion  was  soon  once 
more  fighting  in  the  middle  of  them.  I  was  astonished 
and  delighted  to  remark  how  my  horse  was  able  to 
take  up  their  attention,  so  that  they  appeared  heedless 
of  the  reports  of  my  rifle. 

In  haste  I  commenced  loading,  but  to  my  dismay  I 
found  that  I  had  left  my  loading-rod  with  Hendric. 
Mounting  "The  Cow,"  I  rode  nearer  to  the  quaggas, 
and  was  delighted  to  find  that  they  allowed  my  horse 
to  come  within  easy  shot.  It  was  now  very  dark,  but 
I  set  off  in  the  hope  to  fall  in  with  Hendric  on  the 
wide  plain,  and  galloped  along,  shouting  with  all  my 
might,  but  in  vain.  I  then  rode  across  the  plain  for 
the  hill  to  trv  to  find  some  bush  large  enough  to  make 


so  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

a  ramrod .  In  this,  by  tlie  greatest  chance,  I  succeed- 
ed, and,  being  provided  with  a  knife,  I  cut  a  good  ram- 
rod, loaded  my  rifle,  and  rode  off  to  seek  the  quaggas 
once  more.  I  soon  fell  in  with  them,  and,  coming  with- 
in shot,  fired  at  them  right  and  left,  and  heard  both  bul- 
lets tell,  upon  which  they  galloped  across  the  plain, 
with  the  stallion  still  after  them.  One  of  them,  how- 
ever, was  very  hard  hit,  and  soon  dropped  astern.  The 
stallion  remained  to  keep  him  company. 

About  this  time  the  moon  shone  forth  faintly.  J 
galloped  on  after  the  troop,  and  presently  coming  up 
with  them,  rode  on  one  side,  and  dismounting,  and 
dropping  on  my  knee,  I  sent  a  bullet  through  the  shoul- 
der of  the  last  quagga ;  he  staggered  forward,  fell  to 
the  ground  with  a  heavy  crash,  and  expired.  The  rest 
of  the  troop  charged  wildly  around  him,  snorting  and 
prancing  like  the  wild  horses  in  Mazeppa,  and  then  set 
off  at  full  speed  across  the  plain.  I  did  not  wait  to 
bleed  the  quagga,  but,  mounting  my  horse,  galloped  on 
after  the  troop :  I  could  not,  however,  overtake  them. 
I  now  returned,  and  endeavored  to  find  the  quagga 
which  I  had  last  shot ;  but,  owing  to  the  darkness,  and 
to  my  having  no  mark  to  guide  me  on  the  plain,  I  fail- 
ed to  find  him.  I  then  set  off  to  try  for  the  quagga 
which  had  dropped  astern  with  the  stallion.  Having 
searched  some  time  in  vain,  I  dismounted,  and  laid  my 
head  on  the  ground,  when  I  made  out  two  dark  ob- 
jects, which  turned  out  to  be  what  I  sought.  On  my 
approaching,  the  quagga  tried  to  make  off,  when  I  sent 
a  ball  through  his  shoulder,  which  laid  him  low.  On 
going  up  to  him  in  the  full  expectation  of  inspecting  for 
the  first  time  one  of  these  animals,  what  was  my  dis- 
appointment and  vexation  to  find  a  fine  brown  gelding, 
with  two  white  stars  on  his  forehead  !     The  truth  now 


A    SAD    MISTAKE.  81 

flashed  upon  me ;  Strydom  and  I  had  both  been  mis- 
taken ;  instead  of  qnaggas,  the  wagon-team  of  a  neigh- 
boring Dutchman  had  afforded  me  my  evening's  shoot- 
ing ! 

I  caught  my  stallion  and  rode  home,  intending  to 
pay  for  the  horses  which  I  had  killed  and  wounded ; 
but  on  telling  my  story  to  Strydom,  with  which  he 
seemed  extremely  amused,  he  told  me  not  to  say  a 
word  about  it,  as  the  owners  of  the  horses  were  very 
avaricious,  and  would  make  me  pay  treble  their  value, 
and  that,  if  I  kept  quiet,  it  would  be  supposed  they  had 
been  killed  either  by  lions  or  wild  Bushmen.  Strydom 
and  I  continued  hunting  springboks  till  the  17th,  dur- 
ing which  time  we  enjoyed  a  constant  run  of  good  luck, 
and  so  fascinating  was  the  sport  that  I  felt  as  though 
I  never  could  tire  of  it.  It  was,  indeed,  a  country 
where  a  person  who  loved  rifle-shooting  ought  to  have 
been  content.  Every  morning,  on  opening  my  eyes, 
the  first  thing  which  I  saw,  without  raising  my  head 
from  the  pillow,  was  herds  of  hundreds  of  springboks 
grazing  before  me  on  the  plains.  On  the  17th,  an  old 
friend  of  Strydom's,  a  Boer  from  Magalisberg,  outspan- 
ned  on  the  farm.  He  had  been  to  Grahamstown  with 
a  load  of  ivory,  and  was  returning  home  with  supplies 
of  tea,  coffee,  clothing,  &c.,  sufficient  for  two  years' 
consumption.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  wife  and 
two  tall  gawky-looking  daughters,  and  half  a  dozen 
noisy  geese,  which  were  secured  in  a  cage  on  the  trap 
of  the  wagon.  This  Boer  informed  me  that  I  could 
get  all  the  rarer  animals  which  I  wished  to  shoot  in  his 
vicinity,  namely,  sable  antelope,  roan  antelope,  eland, 
water-buck,  koodoo,  pallah,  elephant,  black  and  white 
rhinoceros,  hippopotamus,  giraffe,  buffalo,  lion,  &c. 
He  told  me  he  had  shot  elephants  there  with   tasks 

D2 


82  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA.. 

weighing  one  hundred  pounds  each,  and  upward  of 
seven  feet  in  length.  He  advised  me  not  to  visit  that 
country  before  the  end  of  April,  as  my  horses  w^ould 
assuredly  die  of  a  never-failing  distemper  which  pre- 
vails in  the  interior,  within  a  certain  latitude,  during 
the  summer  months. 

Being  anxious  now  to  devote  my  attention  more  par- 
ticularly to  black  wildebeests,  of  which  I  had  not  yet 
secured  a  specimen,  I  resolved  to  take  leave  of  my 
friend  Hendric  Strydom,  and  proceed  to  the  plains 
beyond  the  Thebus  Mountain,  where  he  informed  me 
they  abounded.  Accordingly,  about  9  P.M.,  having 
inspanned  by  moonlight,  I  took  leave  of  my  friend, 
having  presented  him  with  a  coffee-mill  and  some 
crockery,  to  which  his  frau  had  taken  a  fancy,  and 
also  with  a  supply  of  coarse  gunpowder,  which  is  to  a 
Boer  a  most  acceptable  gift.  We  held  for  the  Thebus 
Mountain,  steering  across  the  open  plains  and  follow- 
ing no  track,  with  springboks  and  wildebeests  whistling 
and  bellowing  on  every  side  of  us.  About  midnight 
we  halted  by  a  fountain  near  the  pass  where  a  few 
days  before  I  had  lain  in  ambush  for  eight  hours,  and 
as  it  was  probable  that  the  oxen  would  wander  during 
the  night,  we  secured  them  on  the  yokes.  Two  of  my 
oxen  and  both  my  horses  were  reported  missing  when 
we  left  the  farm,  and  I  had  left  Cobus  to  seek  for  them. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  my  two  servants 
joined  me,  bringing  with  them  the  lost  oxen,  but  having 
failed  to  find  the  steeds.  At  night  1  took  up  a  position 
in  an  old  shooting-hole  beside  the  vley,  to  watch  for 
wildebeests.  Several  jackals,  wildebeests,  quaggas, 
and  hyaenas  came  to  drink  during  the  night,  but,  not 
being  able  to  see  the  sight  of  my  rifle,  I  did  not  fire. 
Here  I  remained  until  the  briijht  star  of  mornino;  had 


WILDEBEEST    SHOOTING.  83 

risen  far  above  the  horizon,  and  day  was  just  beginning 
to  dawn,  when,  gently  raising  my  head  and  looking 
round,  I  saw,  on  one  side  of  me,  four  wildebeests,  and 
on  the  other  side  ten.  They  were  coming  to  drink  ; 
slowly  and  suspiciously  they  approached  the  water, 
and,  having  convinced  themselves  that  all  was  right^ 
they  trotted,  boldly  up  and  commenced  drinking.  Se- 
lecting the  finest  bull,  I  fired,  and  sent  a  bullet  through 
his  shoulder,  when,  splashing  through  the  water,  he 
bounded  madly  forward,  and,  having  run  about  a  hund- 
red yards,  rolled  over  in  the  dewy  grass.  I  did  not 
show  myself,  other  game  being  in  sight,  but  lay  still  in 
the  hole.  In  about  an  hour  an  old  springbok  fed  up  to 
within  three  hundred  yards  of  me,  and  continued*brows- 
ing  there  for  a  considerable  time.  As  no  more  wilde- 
beests seemed  to  be  approaching,  and  as  I  was  very 
hungry,  I  put  up  my  sight  and  took  a  cool,  calculating 
aim  at  him,  and  sent  the  ball  through  the  middle  of  his 
shoulder.  I  then  left  my  hole,  and,  having  inspected 
the  wildebeest  bull,  which  was  a  noble  specimen,  I 
walked  up  to  my  wagon,  and  sent  the  boys  to  cut  up 
the  venison  and  preserve  the  head  carefully. 

On  the  following  morning  I  woke  as  day  dawned, 
and  held  for  my  hole  beside  the  vley,  but  had  not  gone 
two  hundred  yards  round  the  hillock  when  I  saw  an 
old  springbok  feeding,  which  I  stalked,  and  broke  his 
fore-leg.  He  went  off  toward  the  wagon,  when  the 
boys  slipped  "Ganger"  (one  of  my  greyhounds),  who 
at  once  ran  into  him  and  pulled  him  down.  Having 
lain  about  an  hour  at  the  vley,  two  old  wildebeests  ap- 
proached up  wind,  and,  suspecting  the  groimd,  described 
a  wide  semicircle,  like  our  red  deer.  I  wounded  one 
of  them,  but  he  did  not  drop.  I,  however,  managed  to 
send  a  ball  thronoh  the  shouldrr  of  the  otlior.  when  \w 


84  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ran  several  hundred  yards,  wliisking  his  long  white  tail 
as  if  all  was  right,  and  suddenly  rolled  over  in  full  ca- 
reer. His  skin  had  a  delicious  smell  of  the  grass  and 
wild  herbs  on  which  these  animals  lie  and  feed.  On 
proceeding  to  my  wagon,  I  found  all  my  men  asleep. 
Having  gralloched  the  wildebeest,  we  bore  him  bodily 
to  the  wagon  on  the  "  lechtezuit,"  which  is  a  bar  of 
hard  wood  used  in  greasing  the  wagon  wheels,  when  I 
immediately  set  about  curing  the  head,  it  being  a  very 
fine  one. 

On  the  following  morning  Cobus  returned,  having 
found  my  two  horses.  While  taking  my  breakfast,  I 
observed  a  gentleman  approaching  on  horseback  ;  this 
was  Mr.  Paterson,  an  officer  of  the  91st,  a  detachment 
of  which  was  then  quartered  at  Colesberg.  Lieutenant 
Borrow,  a  brother  officer  of  inine,  had  intrusted  mo 
with  the  care  of  a  rifle  which  he  was  sending  to  Mr. 
Paterson,  and,  as  I  had  been  a  long  time  on  the  road, 
he  had  now  come  to  look  after  it.  He  was  a  keen 
sportsman,  and  I  had  much  pleasure  in  meeting  so 
agreeable  a  person  in  the  wilderness.  Having  joined 
me  in  my  rough  breakfast  with  a  true  hunter's  appe- 
tite, we  rode  forth  together  to  look  for  the  wildebeest  I 
had  wounded  in  the  morning,  expecting  to  find  him 
dead.  On  reaching  the  ground,  we  found  five  small 
herds  of  wildebeests  charging  about  the  plain,  and  for 
a  long  time  could  not  discover  the  wounded  one ;  at 
length  I  perceived  an  old  bull  with  his  head  drooping, 
which  I  at  once  pronounced  to  be  my  friend.  On  ob- 
serving him,  we  dismounted  and  watched  him  for  a 
short  time.  The  others  inclined  to  make  off,  but  seem- 
ed unwilling  to  leave  him.  Being  now  convinced  that 
this  was  the  wildebeest  we  sought,  we  determined  to 
give  him  chase,  and  try  to  ride  into  him ;  but,  just  as 


\RRIVAL    AT    COLESBERG.  8'1 

we  Lad  come  to  this  resolution,  he  fell  violently  to  the 
ground,  raising  a  cloud  of  dust.  On  riding  up  to  him 
we  found  him  dead. 

Paterson  and  I  then  made  for  the  vley,  and  had  not 
proceeded  two  hundred  yards  when,  on  looking  back,  J 
saw  about  thirty  large  vultures  standing  on  the  wilde- 
beest, which  in  a  very  short  space  of  time  they  would 
have  devoured.  On  the  morrow  Paterson  left  me  and 
rode  back  for  Colesberg,  having  first  extracted  a  prom- 
ise that  I  would  follow  him  within  three  days.  I  ac- 
cordingly hunted  until  that  time  had  expired,  when  I 
reluctantly  inspanned  and  marched  upon  Colesberg. 
Three  Ions:  marches  brought  us  to  the  farm  of  a  Boer 
named  Penar,  who  had  been  recommended  to  me  as 
having  a  good  stamp  of  horses,  and  as  being  reasonable 
in  his  prices.  I  was,  however,  disappointed  with  his 
stud,  and,  finding  him  exorbitant  in  his  prices,  no  busi- 
ness was  transacted.  The  country  continued  much 
the  same — wide  Karroo  plains,  bounded  by  abrupt  rocky 
mountains.  One  more  long  march  brought  us  within 
five  miles  of  Colesberg,  where  I  halted  for  the  night. 

On  the  27th,  having  taken  an  early  breakfast,  we 
trekked  into  Colesberg,  where,  having  chosen  a  position 
for  my  camp,  I  outspanned  and  took  up  my  quarters 
with  Paterson.  The  village  of  Colesberg  is  so  called 
from  a  conspicuous,  lofty  table-mountain  in  its  imme- 
diate vicinity,  which  takes  its  name  from  a  former  gov- 
ernor of  the  colony.  The  town  is  situated  in  a  confin- 
ed hollow,  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  low  rocky  hills. 
The  formation  of  these  rocks  is  igneous,  and  the  way 
in  which  they  are  distributed  is  very  remarkable. 
Large  and  shapeless  masses  are  heaped  together  and 
piled  one  above  another,  as  if  by  the  hand  of  some 
mighty  giant  of  the  olden  times.     The  town  is  well 


86  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

sC'Dplied  with  water  from  a  strong  fountain  which 
bursts  from  the  base  of  one  of  these  roclcy  hillocks  above 
the  level  of  the  town,  and  by  which  the  small  gardens 
adjoining  the  houses  are  irrigated.  Abundance  of 
water  is  the  only  advantage  that  the  situation  can 
boast  of.  In  the  town  are  several  large  stores,  from 
which  the  Boers  of  the  surrounding  districts  can  obtain 
every  necessary  article  in  their  domestic  economy. 
Numbers  of  these  farmers  attend  the  market  weekly 
with  their  wagons,  bringing  in  the  produce  of  their 
farms  and  gardens;  and,  on  sacramental  occasions, 
which  happen  four  times  every  year,  the  town  is  inun- 
dated with  Boers,  who  bring  in  their  families  in  horse- 
wagons.  Owing  to  the  unsettled  state  of  the  country, 
troops  were  then  stationed  at  Colesberg.  The  garrison 
consisted  of  about  two  hundred  men  of  the  91st,  under 
command  of  my  cousin.  Colonel  Campbell,  and  one  com- 
pany of  the  Cape  Mounted  Rifles,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain Donovan.  Colesberg  was  in  those  days  a  pleasant 
quarter,  as  there  was  not  much  pipe-clay,  and  very  good 
shooting  could  be  obtained  within  a  few  hours  of  can- 
tonment. 

In  the  forenoon  we  had  some  rifle  practice  at  a  large 
granite  stone  above  the  town,  which  the  privates  of  the 
91st  were  wont  to  pepper  on  ball-practice  days.  On 
this  occasion  I  saw  some  very  good  shooting  by  Camp- 
bell, Yarborough,  Bailey,  and  Paterson,  all  officers  of 
the  91st,  and  about  the  four  best  shots  on  the  frontier. 
These  four  Nimrods  had  a  short  time  previously  boldly 
challenged  any  four  Dutchmen  of  the  Graaf  Reinet  or 
Colesberg  districts  to  shoot  against  them.  The  chal- 
lenge was  accepted  by  four  Dutchmen,  who,  of  course, 
got  "jolly  well  licked." 

A.fter  spend 'ng  a  few  days  very  pleasantly  with  the 


PURCHASES.  87 

garrison,  I  resolved  to  hunt  on  and  about  the  frontiers 
until  the  end  of  March,  at  which  time  the  horse  dis- 
temper begins  to  subside,  when  I  proposed  starting  on 
an  elephant-hunting  expedition  into  the  more  remote 
districts  of  the  far  interior.  In  Colesberg  I  purchased, 
by  the  kind  recommendation  of  Captain  Donovan,  a 
second  wagon  of  the  cap-tent  kind,  which  turned  out 
to  be  an  unusually  good  one.  Its  price  was  £50.  I 
also  purchased  an  excellent  span  of  black  and  white 
oxen  from  a  Dutch  blacksmith  in  the  town.  From 
Donovan  I  bought  a  dark-brown  horse,  which  I  named 
Colesberg.  His  price  was  three  hundred  dollars,  and 
he  was  well  worth  double  that  sum,  for  a  better  steed 
I  never  crossed.  I  purchased  from  a  Boer  in  the  town 
another  horse,  well  known  to  the  garrison  by  the  sobri- 
quet of  the  "  Immense  Brute."  He  was  once  the  prop- 
erty of  Captain  Christie  of  the  91st.  When,  on  one 
occasion,  having  wandered,  an  advertisement  appeared 
in  one  of  the  frontier  papers  relative  to  an  "  immense 
brute"  in  the  shape  of  a  tall  bay  horse,  the  property  of 
Captain  Christie,  &c.,  &c.,  and  ever  since  he  had  been 
distinguished  by  this  elegant  appellation.  I  exchanged 
my  brown  stallion  with  Colonel  Campbell  for  an  active 
gray,  which  I  considered  better  adapted  to  my  work. 
Glass  was  at  this  time  at  a  premium  in  Colesberg, 
every  window  in  the  town  having  been  smashed  by  a 
recent  hail-storm.  I  loaded  up  my  new  wagon  with 
barley,  oats,  and  forage  for  my  horses,  they  having  very 
hard  work  before  them — hunting  the  oryx,  upon  which 
I  was  more  immediately  bent,  being  more  trying  to 
horses  than  any  other  sport  in  South  Africa. 

My  intention  was  to  revisit  Colesberg  in  four  or  five 
months,  and  refit,  preparatory  to  starting  for  the  far  in 
terior.      T  left  the  skulls  and  .-.  '• -iiriRns  of  natural  his 


88  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA* 

tory  which  I  had  already  collected  in  the  charge  of  my 
friend  Mr.  Dickson,  a  merchant  in  Colesberg.  During 
my  stay  in  Colesberg  my  men  were  in  a  constant  state 
of  beastly  intoxication,  and  gave  me  much  trouble,  and 
my  oxen  and  horses  were  constantly  reported  in  the 
"  skit-kraal"  or  pound.  I  engaged  one  more  Plottentot, 
named  John  Stofolus,  as  driver  to  the  new  wagon.  He 
was  an  active,  stout  little  man,  and  very  neat-handed 
at  stuffing  the  heads  of  game,  preserving  specimens,  or 
any  other  little  job  which  I  might  give  him  to  do.  He 
was,  however,  extremely  fond  of  fighting  with  his  com- 
rades, and  v/as  ever  boasting  of  his  own  prowess  ;  but 
when  his  courage  was  put  to  the  proof  in  assisting  me 
to  hunt  the  more  dangerous  animals,  he  was  found  wo- 
fully  deficient. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Departure  from  Colesberg — Jaging  Springbok — Vast  Herds  of  Game- 
Swarms  of  Flies — Oology — A  Nomade  Boer's  Encampment — Anec- 
dote of  the  Gemsbok — Cobus  rides  down  a  splendid  old  Bull  Gems- 
bok — A  Night  in  the  Desert — Fatersou  amves — Bushmen — Their  ex- 
Inordiuary  Raids  across  the  Desert 

On  the  evening  of  the  2d  of  December,  with  consid- 
erable difficulty  I  collected  my  drunken  servants,  my 
oxen  and  horses,  and,  taking  leave  of  my  kind  enter- 
tainers, trekked  out  of  Colesberg,  steering  west  for  the 
vast  Karroo  plains,  where  the  gemsbok  were  said  to  be 
still  abundant.  It  was  agreed  that  Campbell  should 
follow  me  on  the  second  day  to  hunt  springbok  and 
black  wildebeost,  in  a  district  through  which  I  was  to 
travel ;  and  Paterson  had  applied  for  a  fortnight's  leave, 


JAGING    SPRmSBOK.  89 

with  the  intention  of  joining  me  in  the  gemsbok  coun- 
try, and  enjoying  along  with  me,  for  a  few  days,  the 
exciting  sport  of  "  jaging"  that  antelope.  I  did  not  pro- 
ceed very  far  that  evening,  my  men  being  intoxicated, 
and  having  several  times  very  nearly  capsized  the  wag- 
ons, I  halted  shortly  after  sundown,  when,  all  the  work 
with  the  oxen  and  horses  falling  upon  me,  and  no  fuel 
being  at  hand,  I  was  obliged  to  content  myself  by  din- 
ing on  a  handful  of  raw  meal  and  a  glass  of  gin  and 
water.  On  the  following  day  we  performed  two  long 
marches,  crossing  the  Sea-Cow  River,  and  halted  as  it 
grew  dark  on  a  Boer's  farm  where  the  plains  were  cov- 
ered with  springbok.  Here  Campbell  had  instructed 
me  to  await  his  arrival,  and  next  morning  he  was  seen 
approaching  the  wagons,  mounted  on  the  "  Immense 
Brute,"  and  leading  two  others. 

Having  breakfasted,  we  started  on  horseback  to  "jag" 
springbok  and  wildebeest,  ordering  the  wagons  to  pro- 
ceed to  a  vley  about  four  miles  to  the  west.  We  gal- 
loped about  the  plains,  loading  and  firing  for  about  six 
hours.  The  game  was  very  wild.  I  wounded  three 
springboks  and  one  wildebeest,  but  lost  them  all. 
Campbell  shot  tv/o  springboks.  The  first  was  entirely 
eaten  by  the  vultures  (notwithstanding  the  bushes  with 
which  we  had  covered  him),  and  skinned  as  neatly  as 
if  done  by  the  hand  of  man.  The  second  had  its  leg 
broken  by  the  ball,  and  was  making  off,  when  a  jackal 
suddenly  appeared  on  the  bare  plain,  and,  giving  him 
chase,  after  a  good  course  ran  into  him.* 

*  This  is  a  very  remarkable  and  not  unfrequent  occurrence.  Often 
when  a  springbok  is  thus  wounded,  one  or  more  jackals  suddenly  ap- 
pear and  assist  the  hunter  in  capturing  his  quarry.  In  the  more  distant 
hunting-lands  of  the  interior,  it  sometimes  happens  that  the  lion  assists 
the  sportsman  in  a  similar  manner  with  the  larger  animals;  and  though 
this  may  appear  like  a  traveler's  story,  it  is  nevertheless  true,  and  in- 


90  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH   AFRICA. 

Next  morning,  having  bathed  and  breakfasted,  (^amp. 
bell  and  I  parted,  he  for  Colesberg  and  I  for  the  Karroo. 
I  trekked  on  all  day,  and,  having  performed  a  march 
of  twenty-five  miles,  halted  at  sundown  on  the  farm  of 
old  Wessel,  whom  I  found  very  drunk.  My  road  lay 
through  vast  plains,  intersected  with  ridges  of  stony 
hills.  On  these  plains  I  found  the  game  in  herds  ex- 
ceeding any  thing  I  had  yet  seen — springbok  in  troops 
of  at  least  ten  thousand ;  also  large  bodies  of  quaggas, 
wildebeest,  blesbok,  and  several  ostriches.  I  had  hoped 
to  have  purchased  some  horses  from  Wessel,  but  he  was 
too  drunk  to  transact  any  business,  informing  me  that 
he  was  a  Boer,  and  could  not  endure  the  sight  of  En- 
glishmen, at  the  same  time  shoving  me  out  of  the  house, 
much  to  the  horror  of  his  wife  and  daughters,  who 
seemed  rather  nice  people. 

Two  more  days  of  hard  marching,  under  a  burning 
sun,  brought  me  to  the  farm  of  Mynheer  Stinkum, 
which  I  reached  late  on  the  evening  of  the  7th.  H^ 
informed  me  that  about  fifteen  miles  to  the  west  of  his 
farm  I  should  fall  in  with  a  Boer  of  the  wandering  tribe 
who  would  direct  me  to  a  remote  vley  in  the  Karroo,  a 

stances  of  the  kind  happened  both  to  myself  and  to  Mr.  Osvvell  of  the 
H.  E.  I.  C.  S.,  a  dashing  sportsman,  and  one  of  the  best  hunters  I  ever 
met,  who  performed  two  hunting  expeditions  into  the  interior.  Mr. 
Oswell  and  a  companion  were  one  day  galloping  along  the  shady  banks 
of  the  Limpopo,  in  full  pursuit  of  a  wouuded  buffalo,  when  they  were 
suddenly  joined  by  three  lions,  who  seemed  determined  to  dispute  the 
chase  with  them  The  buffalo  held  stoutly  on,  followed  by  the  three 
lions,  Oswell  and  his  companion  bi'inging  up  the  rear.  Veiy  soon  the 
lions  sprang  upon  the  mighty  bull  and  dragged  him  to  the  ground,  when 
the  most  teiTific  scuffle  ensued.  Mr.  Oswell  and  friend  then  approached 
and  opened  their  fire  upon  the  royal  family,  and,  as  each  ball  struck  the 
lions,  they  seemed  to  consider  it  was  a  poke  from  the  horns  of  the  buffa- 
lo, and  redoubled  their  attentions  to  him.  At  length  the  sportsmen  suc- 
ceeded in  bowling  over  two  of  the  lions,  upon  which  the  third,  finding 
the  ground  too  hot  for  him,  made  off. 


SWARMS    OF    FLIES OOLOGY.  91 

good  many  miles  beyond  his  encampment,  to  which  ho 
advised  me  at  once  to  proceed  and  hunt  in  its  vicinity. 
He  represented  that  district  as  not  having  been  recent- 
ly disturbed  by  hunters,  and  doubted  not  but  I  should 
find  gemsbok  and  other  varieties  of  game  abundant 

It  being  now  summer,  flies  prevailed  in  fearful 
swarms  in  the  abodes  of  the  Boers,  attracted  thither  by 
the  smell  of  meat  and  milk.  On  entering  Stinkum's 
house,  I  found  the  walls  of  his  large  sitting-room  actu- 
ally black  with  these  disgusting  insects.  They  are  a 
cruel  plague  to  the  settlers  in  Southern  Africa,  and  it 
often  requires  considerable  ingenuity  to  eat  one's  din- 
ner or  drink  a  cup  of  coffee  without  consuming  a  num- 
ber of  them.  When  food  is  served  up,  two  or  three 
Hottentots  or  Bush-girls  are  always  in  attendance  with 
fans  made  of  ostrich  feathers,  which  they  keep  continu- 
ally waving  over  the  food  till  the  repast  is  finished. 

This  morning  I  purchased  a  handsome  chestnut  pony 
from  a  Boer  named  Duprey,  a  field  cornet,  from  whom 
I  obtained  an  egg  of  the  bustard  of  the  largest  species 
for  my  collection,  oology  being  a  subject  in  which  for 
many  years  of  my  life  I  had  taken  great  interest,  hav- 
ing in  my  possession  one  of  the  finest  collections  in 
Great  Britain,  amassed  with  much  toil  and  danger.  I 
have  descended  most  of  the  loftiest  precipices  in  the 
central  Highlands  of  Scotland,  and  along  the  sea-shore, 
with  a  rope  round  my  wais,'t,  in  quest  of  the  eggs  of  the 
various  eagles  and  falcons  which  have  their  eyries  in 
those  almost  inaccessible  situations.  Among  Stink- 
um's stud  was  a  handsome  brown  gelding,  to  which  1 
took  a  great  fancy  ;  and  after  consulting  for  some  time 
with  his  wife,  he  made  up  his  mind  to  part  with  him 
The  lowest  price  was  to  be  i£18.  After  a  good  deal  of 
bargaining,  however,  I  persuaded  him  to  part  with  hira 


92  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

for  d£12  in  cash,  fifteen  pounds  of  cofFee,  and  twenty 
pounds  of  gunpowder.  I  christened  this  horse  "  Sun- 
day,"*'in  honor  of  the  day  on  which  I  obtained  him. 
This  bargain  being  conchided,  I  inspanned,  and  trek- 
ked to  the  wandering  Boer,  whom  I  reached  about  an 
hour  after  sundown. 

This  man's  nam'e  was  Gous ;  he  lived  in  a  small 
canvas  tent  pitched  between  his  two  wagons,  round 
which  his  vast  flocks  of  sheep  assembled  every  evening, 
his  cattle  and  horses  running  day  and  night  in  a  neigh- 
boring range  of  grassy  hills.  His  w4fe  was  one  of  the 
best-looking  women  I  met  among  the  Boers :  she  in- 
formed me  that  she  was  of  French  extraction.  On  the 
following  morning  I  breakfasted  with  Gous  in  his  tent : 
he  had  lots  of  flesh,  milk,  and  wild  honey,  which  last 
article  was  reported  abundant  that  season.  He  offered 
to  sell  to  me  a  brown  horse  of  good  appearance;  his 
price  was  too  high,  but  at  a  subsequent  period  we  came 
to  terms,  and  I  bought  him.  After  breakfast  I  inspan- 
ned, and,  having  proceeded  a  few  miles  across  a  glow- 
ing plain,  on  which  I  counted  fourteen  tall  ostriches 
stalking  amid  large  herds  of  other  game,  I  reached  a 
periodical  stream,  where  I  outspanned,  the  sun  being 
intensely  powerful.  Here  I  found  another  Boer,  named 
Sweirs,  encamped  with  his  flocks  and  herds,  having 
been  obliged  to  leave,  his  farm,  situated  far  in  the  depths 
of  the  Karroo,  from  want  of  water.  Sweirs  was  an 
elderly  man,  but  had  been  a  keen  sportsman,  and  en- 
tertained me  with  many  interesting  anecdotes  relative 
to  the  habits  of  the  game  and  of  his  hunting  adventures 
in  his  early  days.  He  informed  me  that  he  remember- 
ed lions  extremely  abundant  in  those  districts,  and  that 
a  few  were  still  to  be  met  with;  He  related  to  me  in- 
stances where  he  had  seen  the  gemsbok  beat  off"  the 


WILD  GEESE  AND  OTHER  GAME.  9S 

lion,  and  he  had  also  come  upon  the  carcasses  of  both 
rotting  on  the  plain,  the  body  of  the  lion  being  trans- 
fixed by  the  long,  sharp  horns  of  the  powerful  gemsbok 
so  that  he  could  not  extract  them,  and  thus  both  had 
perished  together.  He  also  mentioned  that,  notwith- 
standing the  agility  of  the  springbok,  he  had  often 
known  the  lion  dash  to  the  ground  two,  three,  and  four 
in  quick  succession  in  a  troop. 

Four  of  my  oxen  being  footsore  and  unable  to  pro- 
ceed, I  left  them  in  charge  of  old  Sweirs,  and  in  the 
cool  of  the  evening  I  inspanned,  and,  having  proceeded 
about  five  miles  through  an  extremely  wild  and  deso- 
late-looking country,  on  clearing  a  neck  in  a  range  of 
low,  rocky  hills  I  came  full  in  view  of  the  vley  or  pool 
of  water  beside  which  I  had  been  directed  to  encamp. 
The  breadth  of  this  vley  was  about  three  hundred 
yards.  One  side  of  it  was  grassy,  and  patronized  by 
several  flocks  of  Egyptian  wild  geese,  a  species  of  bar- 
nacle, wild  ducks,  egrets,  and  cranes.  The  other  side 
was  bare,  and  here  the  game  drank,  and  the  margin 
of  the  water  was  trampled  by  the  feet  of  wild  animals 
like  an  English  horse-pond.  There  being  no  trees  be- 
side which  to  form  our  camp,  we  drew  up  our  wagons 
among  some  low  bushes,  about  four  hundred  yards 
from  the  vley.  When  the  sun  went  down  I  selected 
the  three  horses  which  were  to  carry  myself  and  two 
after-riders  in  the  chase  of  the  unicorn  on  the  following 
morning,  and  directed  my  boys  to  give  them  a  liberal 
supply  of  forage  to  eat  during  the  night.* 

*  The  oryx,  or  gemsbok,  to  which  I  was  now  about  to  direct  my  at- 
tention more  particularly,  is  about  the  most  beautiful  and  remarkabl't 
of  all  the  antelope  tribe.  It  is  the  animal  which  is  supposed  to  havt* 
given  rise  to  the  fable  of  the  unicorn,  from  its  long,  straight  horns,  when 
«een,  en  profile,  so  exactly  covering  one  another  as  to  give  it  the  ap- 
^•arance  of  having  but  one.     It  possesses  the  erect  mane,  long,  sv^^eej-*- 


94  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

On  the  10th  of  December,  every  thing  having  been 
made  ready  overnight,  I  took  cotiee,  saddled  up,  and 
started  an  hour  before  day-dawn,  accompanied  by  Co- 
bus  and  Jacob  as  after-riders,  leading  a  spare  horse 
with  my  pack-saddle.  We  held  a  southwesterly  course, 
and  at  length  reached  the  base  of  a  little  hillock  slight- 
ly elevated  above  the  surrounding  scenery.  Here  ] 
dismounted,  and,  having  ascended  to  the  summit,  ex- 
amined the  country  all  around  minutely  with  my  spy- 
glass, but  could  not  see  any  thing  like  the  oryx.  1 
was  in  the  act  of  putting  up  my  glass  again,  when,  to 
my  intense  delight,  I  perceived,  feeding  within  four 
hundred  yards,  in  a  hollow  between  two  hillocks,  a  glo- 
rious herd  of  about  five-and-twenty  of  the  long-wished- 

ing  black  tail,  and  general  appearance  of  the  horse,  with  the  head  and 
hoofs  of  an  antelope.  It  is  robust  in  its  form,  squarely  and  compactly 
built,  and  very  noble  in  its  bearing.  Its  height  is  about  that  of  an  ass, 
and  in  color  it  slightly  resembles  that  animal.  The  beautiful  black 
bands  which  eccentrically  adorn  its  head,  giving  it  the  appearance  of 
wearing  a  stall-collar,  together  with  the  manner  in  which  the  rump  and 
thighs  are  painted,  impart  to  it  a  cliaracter  peculiar  to  itself.  The  adult 
male  measures  three  feet  ten  inches  in  height  at  the  shoulder. 

Tlie  gemsbok  was  destined  by  nature  to  adorn  the  parched  kari'oos 
and  arid  deserts  of  South  Africa,  for  which  description  of  country  it  ia 
admii'ably  adapted.  It  thrives  and  attains  high  condition  in  barren  re- 
gions, where  it  might  be  imagined  that  a  locust  would  not  find  subsist- 
ence, and,  burning  as  is  the  climate,  it  is  perfectly  independent  of  wa- 
ter, which,  from  ray  own  observation,  and  the  repeated  reports  both 
of  the  Boers  and  aborigines,  I  am  convinced  it  never  by  any  chance 
tastes.  Its  flesh  is  deservedly  esteemed,  and  ranks  next  to  the  eland. 
At  certain  seasons  of  the  year  they  carry  a  great  quantity  of  fat,  at  which 
time  they  can  more  easily  be  ridden  into.  Owing  to  the  even  nature 
of  the  ground  which  the  oryx  frequents,  its  shy  and  suspicious  disposi- 
tion, and  the  extreme  distances  from  water  to  which  it  must  be  follow- 
ed, it  is  never  stalked  or  driven  to  an  ambush  like  other  antelopes,  but 
is  hunted  on  horseback,  and  ridden  down  by  a  long,  severe,  tail-ou-end 
chase.  Of  several  animals  in  South  Africa  which  are  hunted  in  this 
manner,  and  may  be  ridden  into  by  a  horse,  the  oryx  is  by  far  the  swift- 
est and  most  enduring.  They  are  widely  diffused  throughout  the  cen- 
ter and  western  parts  of  South  Africa. 


HUNTING    GEMSBOKS.  93 

for  gemsbok,  with  a  fine  old  ball  feeding  at  a  little  dis- 
tance by  himself,  their  long,  sharp  horns  glancing  in 
the  morning  sun  like  the  cheese-toasters  of  a  troop  of 
dragoons.  I  scarcely  allowed  myself  a  moment  to  feast 
my  eyes  on  the  thrilling  sight  before  me,  when  I  re- 
turned to  my  boys,  and  with  them  concerted  a  plan  to 
circumvent  them.* 

Wc  agreed  that  Jacob  and  I  should  endeavor  to  ride 
by  a  circuitous  course  a  long  way  to  windward  of  the 
herd,  and  that  Cobus  should  then  give  chase  and  drive 
them  toward  us.  The  wind  was  westerly,  but  the  dis- 
trict to  which  this  herd  seemed  to  belong  unfortunate- 
ly lay  to  the  northward.  Jacob  and  I  rode  steadily  on, 
occasionally  looking  behind  us,  and,  presently  taking 
up  a  commanding  position,  strained  our  eyes  in  the  di- 

*  At  this  time  I  was  very  much  in  the  dark  as  to  the  speeJ  of  the 
gemsbok,  having  been  led  by  a  friend  to  believe  that  a  person  even 
of  my  vveight,  if  tolerably  mounted,  could  invariably,  after  a  long  chase, 
ride  right  nito  them.  This,  however,  is  not  the  case.  My  friend  was' 
deceived  in  the  opinion  which  he  had  formed.  The  fact  of  the  matter 
was,  that  hu  had  been  hunting  a  long  way  to  windward  of  a  party  who 
were  hunting  on  the  same  plains  v/ith  him,  and  several  of  the  ggmsboks 
which  he  had  killed  had  previously  been  severely  chased  by  the  other 
party.  In  the  whole  course  of  my  adventures  with  gemsbok  I  only  re- 
member four  occasions,  when  mounted  on  the  pick  of  my  stud  (which 
I  nearly  sacrificed  in  the  attempt),  that  alone  and  unassisted  I  succeed- 
ed in  riding  the  oryx  to  a  stand-still.  The  plan  which  I  adopted,  and 
which  is  generally  used  by  the  Boers,  was  to  mount  my  light  Hotten- 
tots or  Bushmen  on  horses  of  great  endurance,  and  thus,  as  it  were, 
convert  them  into  greyhounds,  with  which  I  coursed  the  gemsbok  as 
we  do  stags  in  Scotland  with  our  rough  deer-hounds.  A  "  tail-on-end" 
chase  is  sometimes  saved,  in  parts  where  the  hunter,  from  a  previous 
knowledge  of  the  country,  knows  the  course  which  the  gemsbok  will 
take;  when,  having  first  discovered  the  herd,  the  after-rider  is  directed 
to  remain  quiet  until  the  hunter  shall  have  proceeded  by  a  wide  semi- 
circular course  some  miles  to  windward  of  the  herd,  which  being  ac 
complished.  the  Hottentot  gives  the  troop  a  tremendous  burst  toward 
his  master,  who,  by  riding  hard  for  their  line,  generally  manages  to  get 
within  easy  shot  as  the  panting  herd  strains  past  him.  J 


9h  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

rection  of  the  gemsboks,  in  the  full  expectation  of  see* 
ing  them  flying  toward  us.  After  waiting  a  consider, 
able  time  and  nothing  appearing,  I  folt  convinced  that 
we  were  wrong,  and  in  this  conjecture  I  judged  well. 
A  slight  inequality  in  the  plain  had  concealed  from  our 
view  the  retreating  herd,  which  had  started  in  a  north- 
erly course.  Cobus  had  long  since  dashed  into  the 
Herd,  and  was  at  that  moment  flying  across  the  plains 
after  them,  I  knew  not  in  what  direction.  After  gal- 
loping athwart  the  boundless  plains  in  a  state  border- 
ing on  distraction,  I  gave  it  up,  and,  accompanied  by 
Jacob,  returned  to  the  wagons  in  any  thing  but  a 
placid  frame  of  mind. 

About  two  hours  after,  Cobus  reached  the  wagon, 
having  ridden  the  old  bull  to  a  stand-still.  The  old 
fellow  had  lain  down  repeatedly  toward  the  end  of  the 
chase,  and  at  length  could  proceed  no  further,  and 
Cobus,  after  waiting  some  time  and  seeing  no  signs  of 
his  master,  had  reluctantly  left  him.  In  the  height  of 
the  day  the  sun  was  intensely  powerful;  I  felt  much 
disgusted  at  my  want  of  luck  in  my  first  attempt,  and, 
burning  with  anxiety  for  another  trial,  I  resolved  to 
take  the  field  again  in  the  afternoon,  more  especially 
as  we  had  not  a  pound  of  flesh  in  camp.  Between  3 
and  4  P.M.  I  again  sallied  forth  with  the  same  after- 
riders  leading  a  spare  horse.  "We  cantered  across  plains 
to  the  northeast,  and  soon  fell  in  with  ostriches  and 
quaggas,  and,  after  riding  a  few  miles  through  rather 
bushy  ground,  a  large  herd  of  hartebeest  cantered  across 
our  path,  and  these  were  presently  joined  by  two  or 
three  herds  of  quaggas  and  wildebeests,  which  kept  re- 
treating as  we  advanced,  their  course  being  marked  by 
clouds  of  red  dust.  At  length  I  perceived  a  herd  of  ash- 
c<^ored  bucks  stealing  right  away  ahead  of  the  other 


EXCITING    CHASE.  97 

game ;  I  at  once  knew  them  to  be  gemsbok,  and  gave 
chase  at  a  hard  canter.  I  gradually  gained  upon  them, 
ttnd,  after  riding  hard  for  about  two  miles,  I  ordered 
Cobus  to  go  ahead  and  endeavor  to  close  with  them. 
At  this  moment  v/e  had  reached  the  border  of  a  slight 
depression  on  the  plain,  down  which  the  herd  led,  af- 
fording me  a  perfect  view  of  the  exciting  scene.  The 
gemsbok  now  increased  their  space,  but  Cobus's  horse, 
which  was  a  good  one  with  a  very  light  weight,  gained 
upon  them  at  every  stride,  and  before  they  had  reach- 
ed the  opposite  side  of  the  plain  he  was  in  tljg  middle 
of  the  foaming  herd,  and  had  turned  out  a  beautiful 
cow  with  a  pair  of  uncommonly  fine  long  horns.  In 
one  minute  he  dexterously  turned  her  in  my  direction, 
and,  heading  her,  I  obtained  a  fine  chance,  and  rolled 
her  over  with  two  bullets  in  her  shoulder.  My  thirst 
was  intense,  and,  the  gemsbok  having  a  fine  breast  of 
milk,  I  milked  her  into  my  mouth,  and  obtained  a  drink 
of  the  sweetest  beverage  I  ever  tasted. 

While  I  was  thus  engaged,  Cobus  was  shifting  his 
saddle  from  the  "  Immense  Brute"  to  the  gray,  which 
being  accomplished,  I  ordered  him  to  renew  the  chase 
and  try  to  ride  down  the  old  bull  for  me.  We  fasten- 
ed the  "  Immense  Brute"  to  a  bush  beside  the  dead 
gemsbok,  and  then,  mounting  the  horse  which  Jacob 
had  been  riding,  T  followed  on  as  best  I  might.  On 
gaining  the  first  ridge,  I  perceived  the  troop  of  oryx 
about  two  miles  ahead  of  me,  ascending  another  ridge 
at  the  extremity  of  the  plain,  and  Cobus  riding  hard 
for  them  about  a  mile  astern,  but  rapidly  gaining  on 
them.  Oryx  and  boy  soon  disappeared  over  the  dis- 
tant ridge,  the  boy  still  far  behind.  The  country  here 
changed  from  grass  and  bushes  to  extreme  sterility; 
the  whole  ground  was  undermined  with  the  holes  of 

Vol.  L— E 


98  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

colonies  of  meercat  or  mouse-hunts.  This  burrowed 
ground,  which  is  common  throughout  these  parts,  was 
extremely  distressing  to  our  horses,  the  soil  giving  way 
at  every  step,  and  my  steed  soon  began  to  flag.  On 
gaining  the  distant  ridge  a  wide  plain  lay  before  me. 
I  looked  in  every  direction,  straining  my  eyes  to  catch 
a  glimpse  of  Cobus  and  the  oryx,  but  they  were  no- 
where to  be  seen.  At  length,  after  riding  about  two 
miles  further  in  the  direction  which  he  seemed  to  hold 
when  I  had  last  seen  him,  I  detected  his  white  shirt 
on  a  ridge  a  long  way  to  my  right,  and  on  coming  up 
to  him  I  found  that  he  had  ridden  the  old  bull  to  a 
stand-still:  the  old  fellow  was  actually  lying  panting 
beside  a  green  bush.  I  thought  him  one  of  the  most 
lovely  animals  I  had  ever  beheld,  and  I  could  have  gaz- 
ed for  hours  at  him ;  but  I  was  now  many  miles  from 
my  wagons,  without  a  chance  of  water,  and  dying  of 
thirst,  so  I  speedily  finished  the  poor  oryx,  and  having 
carefully  cut  off  the  head,  commenced  skinning  him. 

It  was  now  late — too  late  to  take  home  the  cow  oryx 
that  night;  the  bull  was  much  too  far  from  my  camp 
to  think  of  saving  any  part  of  the  flesh.  I  therefore 
sent  off  Cobus  to  the  wagons  to  fetch  water  and  bread, 
desiring  him  to  meet  me  at  a  spot  where  the  cow  gems- 
bok  was  lying,  where  I  resolved  to  sleep,  to  protect  her 
from  hyaenas  and  jackals;  but  before  Jacob  and  I  had 
accomplished  the  skinning,  and  secured  the  skin  and 
the  head  upon  the  horse,  night  had  set  in.  My  thirst 
was  now  fearful,  and  becoming  more  and  more  raging. 
I  would  have  given  any  thing  I  possessed  for  a  bottle 
of  water.  In  the  hope  of  meeting  Cobus,  Jacob  and  I 
rode  slowly  forward,  and  endeavored  to  find  out  the 
place;  but  darkness  coming  on,  and  there  being  no 
feature  in  the  desert  to  guide  me,  I  lost  my  way  en- 


A    NIGHT    IN    THE    DESERT.  99 

tirely,  and  after  wandering  for  several  hours  in  the  dark, 
and  firing  blank  shots  at  intervals,  we  lay  down  in  the 
open  plain  to  sleep  till  morning,  having  tied  our  horse? 
to  a  thorny  bush  beside  where  we  lay.  I  felt  very  cold 
all  night,  but  my  thirst  continued  raging.  My  clothes 
consisted  of  a  shirt  and  a  pair  of  knee-breeches.  M}  ■ 
bed  was  the  bull's  hide  laid  over  a  thorny  bush,  which 
imparted  to  my  tough  mattress  the  elasticity  of  a  feath- 
er bed.  Having  slept  about  two  hours,  I  awoke,  and 
found  that  our  horses  had  absconded;  after  which  I 
slept  little.  Day  dawned,  and  I  rose;  and  on  looking 
about,  neither  Jacob  nor  I  had  the  most  remote  idea 
of  the  ground  we  were  on,  nor  of  the  position  of  our 
camp. 

Within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  us  was  a  small  hill, 
which  we  ascended  and  looked  about,  but  could  not  in 
the  least  recognize  the  ground.  I,  however,  ascertain- 
ed the  points  of  the  compass  and  the  position  of  my 
camp  by  placing  my  left  hand  toward  the  rising  sun. 
I  was  then  returning  to  the  spot  where  I  had  slept, 
when  suddenly  I  perceived,  standing  within  three  hund- 
red yards  of  me,  the  horse  which  I  had  fastened  beside 
the  cow  oryx  on  the  preceding  evening,  and  on  going  up 
I  found  both  all  right.  I  immediately  saddled  the  horse 
and  rode  hard  for  camp,  ordering  Jacob  to  commence 
skinning  the  cow,  and  promising  to  send  him  water  and 
bread  as  soon  as  I  reached  the  wagons. 

On  my  way  thither  I  met  Cobus  on  horseback,  bear- 
ing bread  and  a  bottle  of  water,  wandering  he  knew 
not  whither,  having  entirely  lost  his  reckoning.  My 
thirst  had  by  this  time  departed,  so  I  did  not  touch  the 
water,  but  allowed  him  to  take  it  on  to  Jacob.  He  in- 
formed me  that  John  Stofolus  was  coming  on  with  the 
baggage-wagon  to  take  up  the  venison,  and  before  rid- 


100  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ing  far  I  fell  in  with  him,  having,  with  a  Hottentot's 
usual  good  sense,  come  away  without  water  in  the 
casks.  Having  shown  him  how  to  steer,  I  rode  on  to 
the  camp,  which  I  was  right  glad  to  reach,  and  felt 
much  refreshed  with  a  good  bowl  of  tea.  I  was  active- 
ly employed  during  the  rest  of  the  day  in  preserving  the 
two  oryx-heads  for  my  collection.  In  the  evening  a 
horseman  on  a  jaded  steed  was  seen  approaching  the 
wagons,  accompanied  by  an  after-rider  leading  a  spare 
horse.  This  was  my  friend  Paterson,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded in  obtaining  a  fortnight's  leave  of  absence,  and 
with  whom  that  evening,  over  a  gemsbok  stew,  I 
"  fought  my  battles  o'er  again."  Our  respective  studs 
being  considerably  done  up  and  in  need  of  rest,  the 
following  day  was  devoted  to  "  dulce  otium,"  washing 
our  rifles,  and  writing  up  the  log. 

On  the  14tli  we  went  out  on  foot  after  a  troop  of 
ostriches,  one  of  which  we  wounded,  and  came  home 
much  exhausted.  The  very  ground  was  as  hot  as  the 
side  of  a  stove.  The  following  day  we  were  visited  by 
a  party  of  Boers  from  the  neighboring  encampments, 
who  had  come  to  see  how  we  were  getting  on.  Find- 
ing our  brandy  good,  they  made  themselves  very  agreea- 
ble, and  sat  for  many  hours  conversing  with  us.  The 
leading  subject  of  conversation  was  gemsbok  and  lion 
shooting,  and  the  slaying  and  capturing  of  whole  tribes 
of  marauding  Bushmen  in  by-gone  days.  They  in- 
formed us  that  when  they  first  occupied  these  districts 
the  game  was  far  more  abundant,  and  eland  and  koo- 
doos were  plentiful.  Their  herds  of  cattle  were  con- 
stantly attacked  and  plundered  by  the  vindictive  wild 
Bushmen.^     The  Boers  informed  us  that  in  a  country 

•  Unlike  the  Caffre  tribes,  who  lift  cattle  for  the  purpose  of  preserv- 
ing them  and  breeding  from  them,  the  sole  object  of  the  Bushmen  is  to 


RAIDS    OF    THE    BUSHMEN.  101 

to  the  southwest  of  our  actual  position,  a  tribe  of  these 
natives  for  many  years  were  in  the  habit  of  practicing 
raids  with  impunity  upon  the  herds  of  the  farmers  in 
the  Raw-feldt,  assisted  by  avast  and  impracticable  des- 
ert which  intervened  between  their  country  and  the 
more  fertile  pastoral  districts.  They  seemed  to  prefer 
extremely  dry  seasons  for  these  incursions,  their  object 
in  this  being  that  their  pursuers,  who  of  course  follow- 
ed on  horseback  while  they  were  always  on  foot,  should 
not  obtain  water  for  their  horses.  Their  own  wants 
in  this  respect  they  provided  for  m  the  following  curi- 
ous manner.  They  had  regular  stages  at  long  inter- 
vals in  a  direct  line  across  the  desert,  where,  assisted 
by  their  wives,  they  concealed  water  in  ostrich  eggs, 
which  they  brought  from  amazing  distances,  and  these 
spots,  being  marked  by  some  slight  inequality  in  the 
ground,  they  could  discover  either  by  day  or  night  from 
their  perfect  knowledge  of  the  country.  They  were 
thus  enabled  fearlessly  to  drive  off  a  herd  of  cattle,  whose 
sufferings  from  thirst  gave  them  little  concern,  and  to 
travel  day  and  night,  while  their  mounted  pursuers,  re- 
drive  them  to  their  sechided  habitations  iu  the  desert,  •svhere  they  mas 
sacre  them  indiscriminately,  and  continue  feasting  and  gorging  tliem- 
selves  until  the  flesii  becomes  putrid.  When  a  KafBr  has  lifted  cattle, 
and  finds  himself  so  hotly  pursued  by  the  owners  that  he  can  not  escape 
with  his  booty,  he  betakes  himself  to  flight,  and  leaves  the  cattle  un- 
scathed ;  but  the  spiteful  Bushmen  have  a  most  provoking  and  cruel 
system  of  hon-ibly  mutilating  the  poor  cattle  when  they  find  that  they 
arc  likely  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  their  rightful  owners,  by  discharging 
tlieir  poisoned  arrows  at  them,  hamstringing  them,  and  cutting  lumps 
of  Hesh  off  their  living  carcasses.  This  naturally  so  incenses  the  owners 
that  they  never  show  the  Bushmen  any  quarter,  but  shoot  them  down 
right  and  left,  sparing  only  the  children,  whom  they  tame  and  convert 
into  servants.  The  people  wlio  suffer  from  these  depredations  are 
Boers,  Griquas,  and  Bechuanas,  all  of  whom  are  possessed  of  large  herds 
of  cattle,  and  the  massacres  of  the  Bushmen,  arising  from  these  raids, 
are  endless. 


J  02  aDVKN'I'LKKS    in    ^^OL•TH    AFUICA. 

quiring  light  to  hold  the  spoor,  could  necessarily  only 
follow  by  day,  and  were  soon  obliged  to  give  up  the  pur- 
suit on  account  of  their  horses  heina:  without  water 


CHAPTER  VL 

Hard  Chase  of  an  Oryx — A  brindled  Gnoo  reduces  himself  to  a  "dead 
Lock,"  and  is  taken — Patersou  slays  a  Gemsbok  and  a  Bull  Wilde- 
beest— He  leaves  for  Colesberg — Ostrich  Eggs — Novel  Method  of 
canying  them — Anecdotes  of  the  Ostrich — Affray  with  a  Porcupine 
— He  proves  a  rough  Rider  for  my  Horse — Narrow  Escape  from  the 
Thrust  of  a  dying  Oiyx — The  grateful  Water-root — Troops  of  Spring- 
boks cover  the  Face  of  the  Land — Their  Migrations — The  finest  shot 
at  my  Leism-e — Beer  Vley. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  morning  of  the  16th  Pat- 
erson  and  I  again  took  the  field,  accompanied  by  our 
three  after-riders,  and,  having  ridden  several  miles  in 
a  northerly  direction,  we  started  an  oryx,  to  which  Pat- 
erson  and  his  after-rider  gave  immediate  chase.  I  then 
rode  in  an  easterly  direction,  and  shortly  fell  in  with  a 
fine  old  cow  oryx,  which  we  instantly  charged.  She 
stole  away  at  a  killing  pace,  her  black  tail  streaming 
in  the  wind,  and  her  long,  sharp  horns  laid  well  back 
over  her  shoulders.  Aware  of  her  danger,  and  anxious 
to  gain  the  desert,  she  put  forth  her  utmost  speed,  and 
strained  across  the  bushy  plain.  She  led  us  a  tearing 
chase  of  upward  of  five  miles  in  a  northerly  course,  Co- 
bus  sticking  well  into  her,  and  I  falling  far  behind. 
After  a  sharp  burst  of  about  three  miles,  Cobus  and 
the  gray  disappeared  over  a  ridge  about  half  a  miio 
ahead  of  me      I  here  mounted  a  fresh  horse,  which  had 


EXCITING    CHASE.  103 

oeen  led  by  Jacob,  and  follo^Yed.  On  gaining  the  ridge, 
I  perceived  the  gray  disappearing  over  another  ridge  a 
fearfully  long  way  ahead.  When  I  reached  this  point 
I  conmianded  an  extremely  extensive  prospect,  but  no 
living  object  was  visible  on  thi;  desolate  plain. 

While  deliberating  in  which  direction  to  ride,  I  sud- 
denly heard  a  pistol  shot  some  distance  to  my  left, 
which  I  knew  to  be  Cobus's  signal  that  the  oryx  was 
at  bay.  Having  ridden  half  a  mile,  I  discovered  Cobus 
dismounted  in  a  hollow,  and  no  oryx  in  view.  Pie  had 
succeeded  in  riding  the  quarry  to  a  stand,  and  I  not 
immediately  appearing,  he  very  injudiciously  had  at 
once  lost  sight  of  the  buck  and  left  it.  Having  up- 
braided Cobus  in  no  measured  terras  for  his  stupidity, 
I  sought  to  retrieve  the  fortunes  of  the  day  by  riding  in 
the  direction  in  which  he  had  left  the  oryx.  The  ground 
here  was  uneven,  and  interspersed  with  low  hillocks. 
We  extended  our  front,  and  rode  on  up  wind,  and,  hav- 
ing crossed  two  or  three  ridges,  I  discovered  a  troop  of 
bucks  a  long  way  ahead.  Having  made  for  these,  they 
turned  out  to  be  hartebeests.  At  this  moment  I  per- 
ceived three  magnificent  oryx  a  short  distance  to  my  left. 
On  observing  xis,  they  cantered  along  the  ridge  toward  a 
fourth  oryx,  which  I  at  once  perceived  to  be  "embossed 
with  foam  and  dark  with  soil,"  and  knew  to  be  the  an- 
telope sought  for.  Once  more  we  charged  her.  Our 
horses  had  now  considerably  recovered  their  wind,  but 
the  poor  oryx  was  much  distressed  ;  and  after  a  chase 
of  half  a  mile,  I  jumped  off  my  horse  and  sent  a  bullet 
through  her  ribs,  which  brought  her  to  a  stand,  when 
I  finished  her  with  the  other  barrel.  She  proved  a  fino 
old  cow  with  very  handsome  horns  ;  the  spot  on  which 
she. fell  being  so  sterile  that  we  could  not  even  obtain 
the  smallest  bushes  with  which  to  conceal  her  from  the 


104  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

vultures,  we  covered  hor  with  my  after-rider's  saddle* 
cloth,  which  consisted  of  a  large  blanket :  the  head,  on 
which  I  placed  great  value,  we  cut  off  and  bore  along 
with  us. 

On  my  way  home  I  came  across  Paterson's  after- 
rider,  "  jaging"  a  troop  of  seven  gemsbok,  but  fearfully 
to  leeward,  his  illustrious  master  being  nowhere  in  sight. 
An  hour  after  I  reached  the  camp  Paterson  came  in, 
in  a  towering  rage,  having  been  unlucky  in  both  his 
chases.  I  now  dispatched  one  of  my  wagons  to  bring 
home  my  oryx.  It  returned  about  twelve  o'clock  that 
night,  carrying  the  skin  of  my  gBn.sbok  and  also  a  mag- 
nificent old  blue  wildebeest  (the  brindled  gnoo),  which 
the  Hottentots  had  obtained  in  an  extraordinary  man- 
ner. Pie  was  found  with  one  ol  his  fore  legs  caught 
over  his  horn,  so  that  he  could  not  run,  and  they  ham- 
strung him  and  cut  his  throat.  He  had  probably  man- 
aged to  get  himself  into  this  awkward  attitude  while 
5ghting  with  some  of  his  fellows.  The  vultures  had 
ijonsumed  all  the  flesh  of  the  gemsbok,  and  likewise 
torn  my  blanket  with  wiiich  I  had  covered  her. 

On  the  following  day,  all  our  steeds  being  very  much 
done  up,  Paterson  and  I  visited  the  neighboring  Boers 
to  endeavor  to  buy  and  hire  some  horses.  I  bought 
one  clipper  of  Mynheer  Gous  for  £25,  and  called  him 
"  Grouse,"  and  Paterson  succeeded  in  hiring  one,  and 
with  these,  on  the  following  day,  we  continued  our 
campaign  against  the  gemsboks.  Paterson's  after-rider 
not  being  well  up  to  his  work,  I  lent  him  Cobus,  and 
on  this  occasion  his  perseverance  was  rewarded  by  a 
noble  gemsbok,  which  he  rode  down  and  slew,  and  also 
a  fine  bull  blue  wildebeest,  which  last  animal  is  rather 
rare  in  these  parts.  We  had  one  more  day  together, 
after  which,  much  to  my  regret,  Paterson  was  obliged 


OSTRICH    EGGS.  105 

to  take  leave  of  me  and  start  for  Colesberg,  his  leave 
of  absence  having  expired.  One  of  his  horses  being 
foot-sore,  I  purchased  him,  in  the  hope  of  his  soon  re- 
covering, which  after  a  few  days'  rest  he  did  :  I  called 
him  "  Paterson,"  after  his  old  master.  My  stud  now 
consisted  of  eight  horses  ;  but  three  of  them  were  miss- 
ing, and  I  dispatched  Jacob  in  quest  of  them,  who  re- 
turned on  the  third  day  bringing  them  with  him,  hav- 
ing followed  the  spoor  upward  of  fifty  miles. 

In  the  evening  two  of  the  Hottentots  walked  in  to 
camp,  bending  under  a  burden  of  ostrich  eggs,  having 
discovered  a  nest  containing  five-and-thirty.  Their 
manner  of  carrying  them  amused  me.  Having  divest- 
ed themselves  of  their  leather  "crackers,"  which  in  co- 
lonial phrase  means  trowsers,  they  had  secured  the  an- 
kles with  rheimpys,  and,  having  thus  converted  them 
into  bags,  they  had  crammed  them  with  as  many  ostrich 
eggs  as  they  would  contain.  They  left  about  half  of  the 
number  behind  concealed  in  the  sand,  for  which  they 
returned  on  the  following  morning.  While  encamped 
at  this  vley  we  fell  in  with  several  nests  of  ostriches, 
and  here  I  first  ascertained  a  singular  propensity  pe- 
culiar to  these  birds.  If  a  person  discovers  the  nest 
and  does  not  at  once  remove  the  eggs,  on  returning  he 
will  most  probably  find  them  all  smashed.  This  the 
old  birds  almost  invariably  do,  even  when  the  intruder 
has  not  handled  the  eggs  or  so  much  as  ridden  within 
five  yards  of  them.  The  nest  is  merely  a  hollow  scoop- 
ed in  the  sandy  soil,  generally  among  heath  or  other  low 
bushes  ;  its  diameter  is  about  seven  feet ;  it  is  believed 
that  two  hens  often  lay  in  one  nest.  The  hatching  of 
the  eggs  is  not  left,  as  is  generally  believed,  to  the  heat 
of  the  sun,  but,  on  the  contrary,  the  cock  relieves  the 
hen  in  the  incubation.     These  eggs  form  a  consider- 

E  2 


106  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

able  item  in  the  Bushman's  cuisine,  and  the  shells  are 
converted  into  water-flasks,  cups,  and  dishes.  I  have 
often  seen  Bushgirls  and  Bakalahari  women,  who  be- 
longs to  the  wanderins^  Bechuana  tribes  of  the  Kalahari 
desert,  come  down  to  the  fountains  from  their  remote 
habitations,  sometimes  situated  at  an  amazing  distance, 
each  carrying  on  her  back  a  kaross  or  a  net- work  con- 
taining from  twelve  to  fifteen  ostrich  egg-shells,  which 
had  been  emptied  by  a  small  aperture  at  one  end  :  these 
they  fill  with  water,  and  cork  up  the  hole  with  grass. 
•  A  favorite  method  adopted  by  the  wild  Bushman  for 
approaching  the  ostrich  and  other  varieties  of  game  is 
to  clothe  himself  in  the  skin  of  one  of  these  birds,  in 
which,  taking  care  of  the  wind,  he  stalks  about  the 
plain,  cunningly  imitating  the  gait  and  motions  of  the 
ostrich  until  within  range,  when,  with  a  well-directed 
poisoned  arrow  from  his  tiny  bow,  he  can  generally  seal 
the  fate  of  any  of  the  ordinary  varieties  of  game.  These 
insignificant-looking  arrows  are  about  two  feet  six  inch- 
es in  length  ;  they  consist  of  a  slender  reed,  with  a 
sharp  bone  head,  thoroughly  poisoned  with  a  composi- 
tion, of  which  the  principal  ingredients  are  obtained 
sometimes  from  a  succulent  herb,  having  thick  leaves, 
yielding  a  poisonous  milky  juice,  and  sometimes  from 
the  jaws  of  snakes.  The  bow  barely  exceeds  three  feet 
in  length ;  its  string  is  of  twisted  sinews.  When  a 
Bushman  finds  an  ostrich's  nest,  he  ensconces  himself 
in  it,  and  there  awaits  the  return  of  the  old  birds,  by 
which  means  he  generally  secures  the  pair.  It  is  by 
means  of  these  little  arrows  that  the  majority  of  the 
fine  plumes  are  obtained  which  grace  the  heads  of  the 
fair  throughout  the  civilized  world. 

It  was  now  the  height  of  summer,  and  every  day 
the  heat  of  the  snn  was  terrific,  hut  there  was  gen- 


AFFRAY  WITH  A  PORCUPINE.  107 

erally  a  breeze  of  wind,  and  the  nights  were  cool.  Our 
vley  was  daily  decreasing,  and  I  saw  that,  unless  wg 
were  visited  by  rains,  it  would  soon  be  no  more.  On 
the  morning  of  the  22d  I  had  rather  an  absurd  adven- 
ture with  a  porcupine,  which  cost  me  my  pack-saddle, 
the  only  thing  of  the  sort  I  had  in  camp.  Long  befoi\3 
day-break  I  saddled  up,  and  rode  north  with  my  two 
after-riders  and  a  spare  horse  with  the  pack-saddle.  As 
day  dawned  I  came  upon  a  handsome  old  porcupine, 
takine  his  morning  airing.  At  first  sight  he  reminded 
me  of  a  badger.  Unwilling  to  discharge  my  rifle,  as  it 
was  probable  that  we  were  in  the  vicinity  of  oryx,  I  re- 
solved to  attempt  his  destruction  with  the  thick  end 
of  my  "jambok,"  the  porcupine,  like  the  seal,  being 
easily  killed  with  a  blow  on  the  nose.  I  jumped  off 
my  hor.se,  and  after  a  short  race,  in  which  I  tried  him 
with  many  turns,  when  he  invariably  doubled  back  be- 
tween my  legs,  giving  me  the  full  benefit  of  his  bris- 
tling quills,  I  succeeded  in  killing  him  with  the  jambok, 
but  not  till  I  had  received  several  wounds  in  my  hands. 
My  boys  the  while  sat  grinning  in  their  saddles,  en- 
joying the  activity  of  their  "  baas." 

Having  covered  him  with  bushes,  we  rode  on,  and 
shortly  came  upon  an  immense,  compact  herd  of  several 
thousand  "trekking"  springboks,  which  were  exceed- 
ingly tame,  and  in  the  middle  of  them  stood  two  oryx. 
These  we  managed  for  the  first  time  to  drive  in  a  south- 
erly direction,  being  that  in  which  the  camp,  lay ;  and, 
after  a  sharp  and  rather  circular  burst,  I  headed  the 
finer,  and  bowled  her  over.  She  proved  to  be  a  young 
cow  about  three  years  old.  Having  disemboweled  her, 
and  prepared  her  for  the  pack-saddle  with  a  cotdeau-dC' 
chasse,  by  splitting  the  brisket,  passing  the  knife  along 
the  gristly  bones  on  ono  side  of  it,  and  breaking  the 


108  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRHU. 

back  by  a  dexterous  touch  of  the  knife,  where  certain 
ribs  well  known  to  the  hunter  join  the  vertebrae,  where- 
by the  animal  can  more  easily  be  balanced  on  the  pack- 
saddle,  we  succeeded  with  great  difficulty  in  placing 
her  on  "  Sunday,"  and  rode  slowly  for  the  place  where 
we  had  left  the  porcupine.  We  placed  him  on  the 
oryx,  and  secured  him  with  a  rheim,  but  we  had  not 
proceeded  far  when  some  of  the  quills  pricked  the  steed, 
upon  which  he  commenced  bucking  and  prancing  in  the 
most  frantic  manner,  which  of  course  made  matters 
ten  times  worse,  causing  the  porcupine  to  beat  the 
devil's  tattoo  on  his  back.  The  gemsbok's  head,  also, 
which,  being  a  poor  one,  I  had  not  cut  off,  unfortunate- 
ly got  adrift,  and  kept  dangling  about  his  haunches,  the 
sharp  horns  striking  his  belly  at  every  spring.  He 
broke  loose  from  Jacob,  who  led  him,  and  set  off  across 
the  country  at  a  terrific  pace,  eventually  smashing  the 
pack-saddle,  but  still  failing  to  disengage  himself  from 
the  gerasbok,  whose  hind  and  fore  feet,  being  fastened 
together,  slipped  round  under  his  belly,  impeding  his 
motions,  and  in  this  condition  he  was  eventually  se- 
cured, being  considerably  lacerated  about  the  haunches 
by  the  horns  of  the  oryx. 

Next  day  Cobus  and  I  fell  in  with  the  finest  bull 
oryx  I  had  yet  met,  which,  after  a  severe  chase,  we 
rode  into  and  slew.  For  some  evenings  previous  a 
large  bright  comet  had  appeared  in  the  southwest,  hav- 
ing a  tearing,  fiery  tail,  which  strange  meteor,  to  the 
best  of  my  recollection,  shone  brightly  in  the  clear  firm- 
ament for  five  or  six  weeks.  We  lived  well,  but  lone- 
lily. My  camp  abounded  with  every  delicacy — tongues, 
brains,  marrow-bones,  kidneys,  rich  soup,  with  the  most 
delicious  venison  in  the  world,  &c.,  &c.,  and  a  constant 
supply  of  ostrich  eggs.    The  2oth  was  cool  and  cloudy, 


THE    WATER-ROOT.  109 

being  the  first  day  that  the  sky  had  been  overcast  oince 
I  had  left  the  Thebus  Flats. 

In  the  afternoon  I  resolved  to  ride  far  into  the  oryx 
country,  sleep  under  a  busli,  and  hunt  them  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning.  I  accordingly  left  my  wagons  about 
3  P.M.,  with  my  two  after-riders  and  a  spare  horse, 
and  rode  about  fifteen  miles  in  a  northerly  course,  when 
we  secured  our  horses  to  a  bush,  to  leeward  of  which 
we  slept.  On  my  way  thither  I  dismounted  on  an  arid 
plain  to  breathe  our  steeds  and  dig  up  some  bulbs  of 
the  water-root*  for  immediate  consumption,  my  thirst 

*  This  interesting  root,  which  has  doubtless  saved  many  from  dying 
of  thirst,  is  met  with  througliout  the  most  parched  plains  of  the  Karroo. 
It  is  a  large  oval  bulb,  varying  from  six  to  ten  inches  in  diameter,  and 
is  of  an  extremely  juicy  consistence,  with  rather  au  insipid  flavor.  It 
is  protected  by  a  tiiin  brown  skin,  which  is  easily  removed  with  the 
back  of  a  knife.  It  has  small,  insignificant  narrow  leaves,  with  little 
black  dots  on  them,  which  ai'e  not  easily  detected  by  an  inexperienced 
eye.  The  ground  round  it  is  so  baked  with  the  sun  that  it  has  to  be 
dug  out  with  a  knife.  The  top  of  the  bulb  is  discovered  about  eii;ht  or 
nine  inches  from  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  the  earth  all  round  it 
must  then  be  carefully  removed.  A  knowledge  of  this  plant  is  invalu- 
able to  him  whose  avocations  lead  him  into  these  desolate  regions. 
Throughout  the  ":vhole  extent  of  the  great  Kalahari  desert,  and  the  vast 
tl-acts  of  country  adjoining  thereto,  au  immense  variety  of  bulbs  and 
roots  of  this  juicy  desci-iption  succeed  one  another  monthly,  there  being 
hardly  a  season  in  the  year  at  which  the  poor  Bakalahari,  provided  with 
a  shaqi-pointed  stick  hardened  in  the  fire,  can  not  obtain  a  meal,  being 
intimately  acquainted  with  each  and  all  the  herbs  and  roots  which  a 
bountiful  hand  has  provided  for  his  .sustenance.  There  are  also  several 
succideut  plants,  having  thick,  juicy  leaves,  which  in  like  manner  an- 
swer the  purpose  of  food  and  drink. 

Above  all,  a  species  of  bitter  water-melon  is  thickly  scattered  over 
the  entire  surface  of  theknown  parts  of  the  great  Kalahari  desert.  These 
often  supply  the  place  of  food  and  water  to  the  wild  inhabitants  of  those 
remote  regions,  and  it  is  stated  by  the  Bakalahari  that  these  melons  im- 
prove in  flavor  as  they  penetrate  further  to  the  west.  Most  of  these 
roots  are  much  eaten  by  the  gemsboks,  which  are  led  by  instinct  to 
root  them  out.  The  elephants  also,  apprised  by  their  acute  sense  of 
smell  of  their  position,  feed  upon  them,  and  whole  tracts  may  be  seen 
plowed  up  by  the  tusks  of  these  sagacious  animals,  in  quest  of  them. 


110  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

being  very  severe.  While  cantering  along  we  passed 
several  troops  of  hartebecsts  and  ostriches,  and  late  in 
the  day  I  observed  a  small  troop  of  oryx. 

On  the  26th  I  raised  my  head  from  my  saddle  about 
1  o'clock  A.M.,  imagining  the  day  was  dawning,  and, 
having  reused  my  after-riders,  we  proceeded  to  saddle 
our  horses  ;  but  I  soon  perceived  that  the  bright  moon, 
across  which  a  bank  of  clouds  was  at  that  moment  pass- 
ing, had  deceived  me,  and  accordingly  we  off-saddled, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  I  was  once  more  asleep.  Toward 
morning,  a  smart  shower  of  rain,  suddenly  falling  on 
my  face,  broke  in  abruptly  on  my  slumbers,  when  we 
once  more  arose,  and,  when  day  dawned,  we  saddled 
up,  and  held  a  northerly  course.  We  found  the  fresh 
tracks  of  hysenas  not  more  than  fifteen  yards  from  our 
hi)rses.  Within  a  hundred  yards  of  our"  bush  we  at 
once  discovered  the  spoor  of  an  old  bull  gemsbok  which 
had  fed  past  us  during  the  night ;  and  we  had  proceeded 
but  a  short  distance  when  we  discovered  a  herd  of  seven 
noble  oryx  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  us,  pasturing 
in  a  low  hollow ;  upon  which  I  directed  Cobus  to  ride 
round  and  "jag"  them  up  to  me,  while  I  took  up  a  po- 
sition in  front.  The  oryx  presently  charged  past  me ; 
but  Cobus  had  started  after  an  old  bull  which  I  did  not 
see,  and  which  he  rode  to  a  stand.  To  these  seven 
oryx  I  accordingly  gave  chase,  and  before  the  first  mile 
I  was  riding  within  a  hundred  yards  of  them.  Here 
we  were  joined  by  another  fine  herd  of  twenty-two  oryx, 
nearly  all  full  grown,  and  carrying  superb  horns.  On 
we  swept  at  a  thrilling  pace,  and,  after  riding  upward  of 
another  mile,  I  pulled  up  to  have  a  shot ;  but  "  Grouse,*' 
which  I  rode,  being  very  restless,  the  herd  got  a  long 
way  ahead  before  I  could  fire.  I  however  wounded  one 
fine  old  cow,  which  I  ascertained  some  hours  aft'Tward. 


AN    UNSUCCESSFUL    CHASE.  Ill 

Having  fired,  I  resumed  the  chase,  and,  observing  that 
the  finest  bull  of  the  first  herd  seemed  distressed,  I  en- 
deavored to  cut  him  off  from  the  herd,  which  I  suc- 
ceeded in  doing,  and,  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment, 
determined  to  follow  him  as  long  as  my  horse  could  go. 
Away  and  away  we  wildly  flew,  the  oryx  leading  me 
a  cruel  long  chase  due  north,  tail-on-end,  from  my  wag- 
ons, over  a  very  heavy  country,  entirely  undermined 
by  the  endless  burrows  of  the  mouse-hunts.  My  poor 
steed  became  at  length  completely  knocked  up,  while 
the  oryx  seemed  to  gain  fresh  speed,  and  increase  the 
distance  between  us.  I  felt  that  my  horse  could  not 
do  it.  One  chance  alone  remained  :  there  was  still  a 
shot  in  my  left  barrel.  I  pulled  up,  and,  vaulting  from 
my  panting  steed,  with  trembling  hand  and  beating 
heart  I  cocked  my  rifle  and  let  fly  at  the  round  stern 
of  the  retreating  antelope.  The  ball  passed  within  a 
hw  inches  of  his  ear,  and  raised  the  dust  about  fifty 
yards  in  advance  of  him ;  and  I  had  the  mortification 
of  Laving  to  content  myself  with  watching  his  lessen- 
ing form  as  he  retreated  across  the  boundless  waste. 
Faint  and  weary,  and  intensely  mortified  at  the  issue 
of  my  long-continued  chase,  my  lips  cracking,  and  my 
tongue  and  throat  parched  with  raging  thirst,  I  threw 
my  bridle  on  my  arm,  and  led  my  weary  steed  home- 
ward, and  I  inwardly  wished  that,  instead  of  my  being 
a  man  of  fourteen  stone  weight,  nature  had  formed  me 
of  the  most  Liliputian  dimensions.  I  was  now  a  fear- 
ful long  way  from  my  camp;  hills  that  in  the  morning 
were  blue  before  me,  were  now  equally  blue  far,  far  be- 
hind me  ;  "  Grouse"  could  scarcely  walk  along  with 
me,  nor  did  he  ever  recover  that  morning's  work. 

Upon  my  return  I  observed  Jacob  making  for  me, 
landing  a  fre^^li  horse,  of  wjiioh  I  stood    not  a  little  in 


112  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

need ;  he  stated  that  he  had  seen  an  oryx  standing  at 
a  distance  on  the  plain,  which  bore  the  appearance  of 
being  wounded.  We  then  made  for  this  oryx,  and  on 
my  overhauling  her  with  my  spy-glass  I  saw  plainly 
that  she  was  badly  hit.  On  my  cantering  up  to  her 
she  ran  but  a  short  distance,  when  she.  gave  in,  and, 
facing  about,  stood  at  bay.  I  foolishly  approached  her 
without  firing,  and  very  nearly  paid  dearly  for  my  folly ; 
for,  lowering  her  sharp  horns,  she  made  a  desperate 
rush  toward  me,  and  would  inevitably  have  run  me 
through  had  not  her  strength  at  this  moment  failed  her, 
when  she  staggered  forward  and  fell  to  the  ground. 

On  the  following  day  the  waters  of  my  vley  sank 
into  the  earth  and  disappeared:  the  water  for  some 
days  past  had  become  very  "  brack,"  making  myself 
and  my  people  very  unwell. 

On  the  28th  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  beholding,  for 
the  first  time,  what  I  had  often  heard  the  Boers  allude 
to — viz.,  a  "  trek-bokken,"  or  grand  migration  of  spring- 
Doks.  This  was,  I  think,  the  most  extraordinary  and* 
striking  scene,  as  connected  with  beasts  of  the  chase, 
that  I  have  ever  beheld.  For  about  two  hours  before 
the  day  dawned  I  had  been  lying  awake  in  my  wagon, 
istening  to  the  grunting  of  the  bucks  within  two  bund- 
ed yards  of  me,  imagining  that  some  large  herd  of 
springboks  was  feeding  beside  my  camp ;  but  on  my 
rising  when  it  was  clear,  and  looking  about  me;  I  be- 
held the  ground  to  the  northward  of  my  camp  actually 
covered  with  a  dense  living  mass  of  springboks,  march- 
ing slowly  and  steadily  along,  extending  from  an  open- 
ing in  a  long  range  of  hills  on  the  west,  through  which 
they  continued  pouring,  like  the  flood  of  some  great 
river,  to  a  ridge  about  a  mile  to  the  northeast,  over 
which  they  disappeared.     The  breadth  of  the  ground 


MIGRATION    OF    SPRtXGBOKS.  113 

they  covered  might  have  been  somewhere  about  half  a 
mile.  I  stood  upon  the  fore  ciiest  of  my  wagon  for 
nearly  two  hours,  lost  in  wonder  at  the  novel  and  won- 
derful scene  which  was  passing  before  me,  and  had 
some  difficulty  in  convincing  myself  that  it  was  reality 
which  I  beheld,  and  not  the  wild  and  exaggerated  pic- 
ture of  a  hunter's  dream.  During  this  time  their  vast 
legions  continued  streaming  through  the  neck  in  the 
hills  in  one  unbroken  compact  phalanx.  At  length  I 
sadiled  up,  and  rode  into  the  middle  of  them  with  my 
rifle  and  after-riders,  and  fired  into  the  ranks  until  four- 
teen had  fallen,  when  I  cried  "  Enough."  We  then  re- 
traced our  steps  to  secure  from  the  ever- voracious  vul- 
tures the  venison  which  lay  strewed  along  my  gory 
track.  Having  collected  the  springboks  at  different 
bushes,  and  concealed  them  with  brushwood,  we  re- 
turned to  camp,  where  I  partook  of  coffee  while  my 
men  were  inspanning. 

A  person  anxious  to  kill  many  springboks  might  have 
bagged  thirty  or  forty  that  morning.  I  never,  in  all 
my  subsequent  career,  fell  in  with  so  dense  a  herd  of 
these  antelopes,  nor  found  them  allow  me  to  ride  so  near 
them.  Having  inspanned,  we  proceeded  with  the  wag- 
ons to  take  up  the  fallen  game,  which  being  accom- 
plished, we  held  for  the  small  periodical  stream  beside 
which  the  wandering  Boers  were  encamped,  that  point 
being  in  my  line  of  march  for  Beer  Vley.  Vast  and 
surprising  as  was  the  herd  of  springboks  which  I  had 
that  morning  witnessed,  it  was  infinitely  surpassed  by 
what  I  beheld  on  the  march  from  my  vley  to  old  Sweirs's 
camp ;  for,  on  our  clearing  the  low  range  of  hills  through 
which  the  springboks  had  been  pouring,  I  beheld  the 
boundless  plains,  and  even  the  hill  sides  which  stretch- 
ed away  on  every  side  of  me,  thickly  covered,  not  with 


114  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

"  herds,"  bat  with  "  one  vast  herd"  of  springboks;  far 
as  the  eye  could  strain  the  landscape  was  alive  with 
thenn,  until  they  softened  down  into  a  dim  red  mass  of 
living  creatures. 

To  endeavor  to  form  any  idea  of  the  amount  of  ante- 
lopes which  I  that  day  beheld  were  vain ;  but  I  have, 
nevertheless,  no  hesitation  in  stating  that  some  hund- 
reds of  thousands  of  springboks  were  that  morning  with- 
in the  compass  of  my  vision.  On  reaching  the  encamp- 
ment of  the  Boers,  I  out-spanned,  and  set  about  cutting 
up  and  salting  my  venison :  the  Boers  had  likewise  been 
out  with  their  "  roers,"  and  shot  as  many  as  they  could 
carry  home.  Old  Sweirs  acknowledged  that  it  was  a 
very  fair  "  trek-bokken,"  but  observed  that  it  was  not 
many  when  compared  with  what  he  had  seen.  "  You 
this  morning,"  he  remarked,  "  behold  only  one  flat  cov- 
ered with  springboks,  but  I  give  you  my  v/ord  that  I 
have  bidden  a  long  day's  journey  over  a  succession  of 
flats  covered  with  them,  as  far  as  I  could  see,  as  thick 
as  sheep  standing  in  a  fold."  I  spent  the  following  two 
days  with  the  Boers.  Each  morning  and  evening  we 
rode  out  and  hunted  the  springboks,  killing  as  many  as 
we  could  bring  home.  The  vast  armies  of  the  spring- 
boks, however,  did  not  tarry  long  in  that  neighborhood ; 
having  quickly  consumed  every  green  herb,  they  pass- 
ed away  to  give  other  districts  a  benefit,  tlius  leaving 
the  Boers  no  alternative  but  to  strike  their  tents,  and 
remove  with  their  flocks  and  herds  to  lands  where  they 
might  find  pasture. 

On  tht!  morning  of  the  31st  I  left  this  periodical 
stream,  whose  name  was  "  Rhinoceros  Pool,"  and  held 
on  for  Beer  Vley,  which  T  reached  in  about  eight  hours. 
Our  march  was  a  very  hot  one,  across  a  desolate  bar 
ren  country  destitute  of  water.     The  country,  though 


BEER    VLEY.  115 

barren,  was  not,  however,  without  game  :  I  saw  sever- 
al herds  of  springboks,  of  from  five  hundred  to  two 
thousand  in  each ;  also  several  troops  of  gigantic-look- 
ing ostriches,  and  abundance  of  bustard  and  Namaqua 
partridges.  I  shot  two  springboks,  and  broke  the  fore 
leg  of  a  third.  Beer  Vley,  at  the  southern  end  of  which 
1  had  now  encamped,  is  a  very  extensive,  low-lying, 
level  plain ;  its  length  might  be  somewhat  about  twen- 
ty miles,  and  its  oreadth  averaging  from  one  to  two 
miles.  Through  the  entire  length  of  this  grassy  vley 
runs,  in  the  rainy  season,  a  deep  stream  of  water,  which 
meanders  in  a  very  serpentine  course  along  the  center 
of  the  plain,  and,  overflowing  its  banks,  irrigates  and 
enriches  the  surrounding  pasture.  At  that  season, 
however,  this  channel  was  perfectly  dry,  yet  the  plain 
was  covered  with  rich  green  grass.  The  country  sur- 
rounding Beer  Vley  is  extremely  desolate  and  sterile, 
consisting  of  low  rocky  hills  and  undulating  sazidy 
plains,  barely  covered  with  dwarfish  scrubby  shrubs  and 
small  karroo  bushes. 

On  the  morrow  I  removed  my  encampment  about 
eight  or  nine  miles  further  down  the  vley,  being  oblig- 
ed, from  the  broken  and  uneven  nature  of  the  ground, 
to  march  in  a  semicircular  course,  holding  along  the 
outside  of  the  vley.  I  drew  up  my  wagons  on  the  plain 
close  to  the  bank  of  a  dry  channel,  with  a  fine  large 
pool  of  running  water  in  my  vicinity.  This  was  the 
finest  place  that  can  be  described  to  shoot  springboks, 
and  also  to  select  extraordinary  specimens  on  account 
of  their  horns,  which  I  was  anxious  to  do.  The  coun- 
try, on  every  side,  was  covered  with  immense  herds  of 
these  antelopes,  and  they  all  seemed  to  have  an  inclina- 
tion to  come  and  feed  close  along  the  side  of  the  water- 
course beside  which  we  lay.     This  channel  being  about 


116  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ten  feet  deep,  and  extending  throughout  the  entire  lenKh 
of  the  plain,  I  had  only  to  study  the  wind,  and  could 
walk  up  within  easy  shot  of  any  herd,  and  select  what 
buck  I  pleased. 

Here  I  remained  for  several  days,  enjoying  brilliant 
sport,  both  oryx  and  springboks  giving  me  each  day 
<$xcellent  shots.  Here,  also,  I  shot  my  first  ostrich,  a 
fine  old  cock.  It  was  a  very  long  shot ;  I  gave  my  rifle 
several  feet  of  elevation,  yet  nevertheless  the  ball  struck 
him  on  the  leg,  breaking  it  below  the  knee,  when  he 
fell  and  was  unable  to  rise.  The  power  possessed  by 
an  ostrich  in  his  leg  can  hardly  be  imagined.  The 
thigh  is  vry  muscular,  and  resembles  that  of  a  horse 
more  than  that  of  a  bird.  In  the  act  of  dying,  he  lashed 
out  and  caught  me  a  severe  blow  on  my  leg,  which 
laid  me  prostrate. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Leave  Beer  Vley — A  Bushboy  captured  and  enlisted  as  a  Follower — 
Famous  Sport  with  Wildebeest  and  Quaggas  from  a  Hunting-hole — 
Water  fails,  and  we  mai'ch  to  the  Great  Orange  River — Beautiful  Ap- 
pearance of  the  River — Stink  Vonteyn,  a  famous  sporting  Quarter — ■ 
An  Ostrich's  Nest — Bold  Mountain  Ranges — The  Griqua  Tribe,  their 
Manners  and  Customs — An  ancient  Mimosa  Forest — Residence  of  a 
Bushman — Successful  Chase  of  a  noble  Bull  Oryx. 

On  the  9th  I  considered  I  had  sufficiently  long  en- 
joyed the  sweets  of  Beer  Vley ;  and  accordingly,  the 
wagons  being  properly  packed,  I  inspanned  in  the  aft- 
ernoon, and  trekked  to  the  south.  On  the  following 
morning  we  inspanned  at  the  dawn  of  day,  and  retraced 
our  steps  to  the  Rhinoceros  Pool.     The  heat^  continued 


A    NEW    FOLLO^VER.  117 

most  oppressive,  the  wind  still  northerly.  We  were 
infested  with  myriads  of  common  flies,  which  proved  a 
constant  annoyance,  filling  tent  and  wagons  to  such  a 
degree  that  it  was  impossible  to  sit  in  them.  I  rode 
out  in  the  morning  of  the  11th,  accompanied  by  an 
after-rider,  and  shot  two  springboks,  which  we  bore  to 
camp  secured  on  our  horses  behind  our  saddles  by  pass- 
ing the  buckles  of  the  girths  on  each  side  through  the 
fore  and  hind  legs  of  the  antelopes,  having  first  per- 
formed an  incision  between  the  bone  and  the  sinews 
with  the  couteau-de-chasse^  according  to  colonial  usage. 
The  Boers  had  informed  me  of  a  small  fountain  one 
march  in  advance,  where  they  recommended  me  to  hunt 
for  a  short  time,  and  this  place  I  intended  to  be  my  next 
encampment.  On  the  morrow  we  inspanned  at  earli- 
est dawn,  and  trekked  about  ten  miles  in  a  northeast- 
erly course  across  a  barren,  extensive  plain,  steering 
parallel  with  the  country  frequented  by  the  oryx.  "VVe 
drew  up  our  wagons  at  a  place  where  some  Boers  had 
been  encamped  during  the  winter  months.  Here  we 
found  a  well  with  nothing  but  mud  in  it.  I  set  to 
v/ork  with  the  spade  and  cleaned  it  out,  and  presently 
had  good  water  for  myself  and  people.  I  dispatched 
one  of  my  Hottentots  on  horseback  to  seek  for  water 
in  advance  for  the  horses  and  oxen.  He  shortly  re- 
turned, and  reported  another  deserted  Boer  encamp- 
ment about  a  mile  ahead,  at  which  there  was  a  stronger 
fountain,  but  considerably  choked  with  mud.  Having 
breakfasted,  I  removed  my  wagons  thither,  and  en- 
camped. This  fountain  will  be  ever  memorable  in  the 
annals  of  my  African  campaign,  since  on  the  following 
day  I  was  there  joined  by  a  unique  and  interesting 
specimen  of  a  Bushman,  who  has  ever  since  faithfully 
followed  my  fortunes  through  every  peril  and  hardship 


118  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

by  sea  and  land,  and  is  at  the  moment  tliat  I  write 
brandishing  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland  an  imitation 
of  a  Cape  wagon-whip  which  he  has  constructed,  and 
callins:  out  with  stentorian  lungs  the  names  of  the  oxen 
composing  the  team  which  he,  at  a  subsequent  period, 
drove  when  he  alone  stood  by  me,  all  my  followers 
having  forsaken  me  in  the  far  interior. 

Li  the  afternoon  I  saddled  up,  and  started  with  my 
two  after-riders  and  a  spare  horse,  with  the  intention 
of  sleeping  in  the  oryx  country,  and  hunting  next  day. 
We  rode  north  through  sandy  plains  and  hollows  on 
which  large  herds  of  gnoos  and  springboks  were  graz- 
ing. Just  as  the  sun  descended  we  started  a  iine  old 
bull  oryx.  We  discovered  him  in  a  bushy  hollow ; 
after  a  sharp  burst  Cobus  managed  to  turn  him,  when, 
by  heading  him,  I  got  within  range,  and  finished  him 
with  a  couple  of  shots.  It  was  now  dark ;  having  off- 
saddled  our  horses,  we  knee-haltered  them,  and  allow- 
ed them  to  graze  for  an  hour;  after  which,  having  se- 
cured them  to  a  neighboring  bush,  we  lay  down  to 
sleep  on  the  hard  ground.  My  pillow  was  the  neck 
of  the  old  bull ;  the  jackals  sang  his  coronach.  On  the 
13th  I  shot  a  fine  old  steinbok,  and  on  nearing  my  en- 
campment I  discovered  two  different  vleys  containing 
water.  Upon  reaching  my  camp  I  found  a  funny  lit- 
tle fellow  in  the  shape  of  the  Bushboy  before  alluded  to 
awaiting  my  arrival.  My  Hottentots  had  detected  his 
black,  woolly  head  protruding  from  the  reeds  adjoining 
the  fountain,  and  had  captured  him.  I  presented  him 
with  a  suit  of  new  clothes  and  a  glass  of  spirits,  and 
we  immediately  became  and  have  ever  since  continued 
the  best  of  friends.  He  informed  me  that,  when  a  child; 
he  was  taken  by  a  party  of  Dutch  Boers  at  a  massacre 
of  his  countrymen,  and  from  these  he  had  subsequently 


MARCH  TO  THE  GREAT  ORANGE  RIVER.      119 

absconded  on  account  of  their  cruel  treatment  of  him 
The  Boers  had  named  him  "Ruyter,"  probably  after  a 
certain  Dutch  admiral,  which  name  he  still  bears. 

In  the  afternoon  1  rode  to  one  of  the  vleys,  accompa- 
nied by  two  of  my  men,  bearing  pickaxes  and  spades 
and  my  bedding.  We  dug  a  shooting-hole  on  the  usual 
principle,  about  three  feet  deep  and  eight  in  diameter, 
on  the  lee  side  of  the  largest  vley.  In  this  hole  I  used 
to  take  my  station  every  night — the  jackals  and  hyae- 
nas growling  around  me — and  await  the  coming  of  the 
dawn  to  get  a  sight  of  the  game  that  came  to  drink. 
In  this  manner  I  enjoyed  excellent  sport  among  the 
wildebeests  and  quaggas  until  the  17th,  when,  through 
want  of  water  for  my  oxen,  I  was  compelled  to  march 
for  the  Great  Orange  River,  which  was  the  nearest 
water,  being  distant  upward  of  thirty  miles.  We  in- 
spanned  in  the  afternoon,  and,  having  performed  a 
march  of  twelve  miles,  holding  a  northeasterly  course, 
I  outspanned  for  a -couple  of  hours  to  allow  my  oxen 
to  graze ;  after  which  I  again  inspanned,  and  trekked 
about  twelve  miles  further  by  moonlight,  when  we  halt- 
ed till  the  day  dawned,  making  fast  the  horses  and  oxen. 
The  country  here  assumed  a  less  sterile  appearance 
than  that  which  I  had  occupied  during  the  last  five 
weeks,  being  ornamented  with  a  few  ancient  trees, 
bearing  a  leaf  resembling  that  of  the  willow,  and  call- 
ed by  the  Dutch  "  olean  wood  ;"  there  were  also  a  few 
dwarfish  thorny  trees  of  a  species  of  mimosa. 

On  the  18th  we  inspanned  at  the  dawn  of  day,  and 
after  a  march  of  about  four  hours,  through  a  wild  and 
uninhabited  country,  we  suddenly  found  ourselves  on 
the  bank  of  the  magnificent  Orange  River.  This  queen 
of  African  rivers  forms  a  leading  feature  in  the  geogra- 
pliy  of  Southern  Africa.     Its  length,  I  believe,  is  somS' 


120  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

where  about  a  thousand  miles.  It  rises  in  the  east,  in 
the  Vitbergen  mountain  range,  a  little  to  the  north- 
ward of  the  latitude  of  Port  Natal,  and,  flowing  west- 
ward, is  joined  by  the  fair  Vaal  River  about  fifty  miles 
below  the  spot  where  I  had  now  arrived  ;  thence  it  con- 
tinues its  course  westward,  and  falls  into  the  South  At- 
lantic about  five  hundred  miles  to  the  north  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.  We  made  the  river  at  a  place  called 
Davinar's  Drift  or  ford,  beside  which  was  a  comforta- 
ble Dutch  farm.  The  owner  was  a  young  Boer  from 
the  Cape  district,  and  had  obtained  his  present  envia- 
ble position  by  marrying  a  fat  old  widow.  Their  chief 
riches  consisted  of  sheep  and  goats,  of  which  they  pos- 
sessed enormous  flocks,  which  were  in  very  fine  condi- 
tion, the  country  being  suitable  for  pasturing  these  an- 
imals. Large  herds  of  trekking  springboks  were  feed- 
ing in  sight  of  the  homestead.  I  had  passed  several 
herds  on  my  morning's  march,  and  had  shot  three, 
which  were  in  good  order. 

The  Boers,  contrary  to  my  expectation,  reported  the 
river  fordable,  though  I  had  been  informed  that  it  was 
very  large.  Before  venturing  to  cross  we  were  occu- 
pied for  upward  of  an  hour  in  raising  the  goods  liable 
to  be  damaged  by  water,  by  means  of  a  platform  con- 
sisting of  green  willow  boughs,  with  which  we  filled 
the  bottom  of  the  wagons,  and  then  replaced  the  cargo. 
The  descent  on  our  side  was  extremely  steep,  and  we 
found  it  necessary  to  rheim,  viz.,  to  secure,  by  means 
of  the  drag-chains,  both  hind  wheels  of  each  wagon. 
The  drift  was  extremely  rough,  and  jolted  the  wagons 
about  sadly.  We,  however,  got  safely  through,  and, 
having  proceeded  about  half  a  mile  up  the  opposite 
bank,  encamped.  No  person  who  has  not  contempla- 
ted a  magnificent  river  under  similar  circumstances 


BEAUTIFUL    APPEARANCE    OF    ORANGE    RIVER.        121 

can  form  an  ide-a  of  the  pleasure  I  felt  in  reaching  this 
oasis  of  the  desert.  For  many  weeks  past  our  lot  had 
been  cast  in  the  arid  plains  of  the  parched  karroo, 
where  there  had  often  been  barely  sufficient  water  for 
our  cattle  to  drink,  with  cloudless  skies  and  an  intense 
burning  sun  over  our  heads,  and  no  tree  nor  bush  of 
any  description  whose  friendly  shade  might  shelter  us 
from  the  power  of  its  rays.  Here,  "  o'  the  sudden,"  a 
majestic  river  rolled  before  our  delighted  eyes,  whose 
fertile  banks  were  adorned  with  groves  clad  in  everlast- 
ing verdure.  At  the  spot  where  we  crossed,  the  river 
reminded  me  of  the  appearance  exhibited  by  certain 
parts  of  the  River  Spey  in  summer  during  a  spate. 
The  breadth  of  the  Orange  River,  however,  is  in  gen- 
eral about  three  hundred  yards.  The  whole  of  the 
banks  are  ornamented  with  a  rich  fringe  of  weeping 
willows,  whose  branches  dip  into  the  stream,  and  also 
of  many  other  trees  and  bushes,  whose  blossoms  and 
pleasing  foliage  yielded  the  most  delicious  balmy  per- 
fume. Numerous  flocks  of  the  feathered  tribe  by  their 
beautiful  plumage  and  melodious  notes  increased  the 
charm  of  this  lovely  scene.  The  entomologist  could 
likewise  have  found  abundance  of  interesting  objects 
in  his  department,  the  ground  and  trees  swarming  with 
curious,  if  not  gaudy  insects.  My  first  move  after  halt- 
ing was  to  enjoy  a  delightful  bathe ;  after  which,  hav- 
ing donned  my  best  apparel,  I  recrossed  the  river  on 
horseback  to  visit  the  happy  couple  whose  farm  I  have 
previously  described. 

I  found  them  civil  and  communicative,  and  obtained 
from  them  a  supply  of  vegetables,  which  to  me  were 
most  acceptable,  having  tasted  nothing  of  that  sort  for 
many  weeks.  They  imformed  me  that  about  fifteen 
miles  in  a  northerly  direction  there  was  a  salt-pan,  in 

Vol.  I.— F 


1!<J2  adventures    in    50UTH    AFRICA. 

the  vicinity  of  which  I  might  find  koodoos  and  sassay- 
bias,  in  addition  to  the  varieties  of  game  which  I  had 
already  hunted.  I  walked  through  their  garden,  which, 
besides  vegetables  in  great  variety,  contained  several 
kinds  of  fruit-trees,  such  as  peaches,  apricots,  &c.  ; 
these  throve  well,  their  branches  being  laden  with 
abundance  of  fruit.  On  the  forenoon  of  the  19th,  hav- 
ing twice  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  bathing,  I  saddled  up, 
and  rode  north  to  an  extensive  range  of  rocky  hills  to 
seek  for  koodoos.  Crossing  an  extensive  plain  which 
intervened,  I  came  upon  an  ostrich's  nest  containing 
two  eggs ;  the  cock  was  sitting  on  the  nest,  and,  im- 
agining that  we  would  pass  without  observing  him,  he 
allowed  us  to  ride  within  sixty  yards  before  he  started. 
I  found  the  hills  for  which  I  rode  of  so  stony  and  rocky 
a  character  that  it  was  impossible  to  ride  through  them. 
They,  however,  bore  a  goodly  coating  of  rank  grass  of 
various  kinds,  and  the  hollows  contained  a  few  dwarf- 
ish bushes.  Leaving  my  steed  in  charge  of  my  after- 
rider,  I  traversed,  with  my  rifle,  several  of  these  rocky 
ranges,  but  failed  to  find  any  traces  of  koodoos.  It 
was  the  sort  of  country  exactly  suited  for  the  raebok, 
to  which  I  have  already  alluded,  and  of  these  antelopes 
I  discovered  three  small  herds.  On  ascending  to  the 
summit  of  the  highest  hill  in  my  vicinity,  I  command- 
ed a  grand  panoramic  view  of  the  surrounding  scenery. 
An  endless  succession  of  bold  mountains,  of  consider- 
able height,  extended  as  far  as  I  could  see  in  a  north- 
erly and  easterly  direction.  Some  of  them  were  tab- 
ular, but  others  of  conical  and  pyramidal  shapes  tow- 
ered above  their  fellows,  their  abrupt  forms  ctanding 
forth  in  grand  relief  above  the  surrounding  country. 
Throughout  all  these  mountain  ranges  plains  of  con- 
siderable extent,  more  or  less  undulating,  intervened. 


SALT-PANS.  123 

At  1  P.M.  on  the  following  day  I  inspanned  and 
trekked  north  to  the  salt-pan,  which  we  reached  in  the 
dark.  The  general  character  of  the  country  became 
richer  after  crossing  the  Orange  River.  The  plains 
were  adorned  with  a  more  luxuriant  coating  of  grass 
and  in  greater  profusion  ;  and  the  small  karroo  bushes 
were  replaced  by  others  of  fairer  gr  wth,  .nd  of  a  dif- 
ferent variety.  Most  of  these  yielded  a  strong  aromat- 
ic perfume,  but  more  particularly  when  the  ground  had 
been  refreshed  by  a  shower  of  rain,  on  which  occasions 
the  African  wilderness  diffuses  a  perfume  so  exquisite 
and  balmy,  that  no  person  that  has  not  experienced  its 
delights  can  form  an  idea  of  it.  Our  march  lay  through 
an  extensive  undulating  country.  We  passed  several 
troops  of  hartebeests  and  springboks,  and  saw  for  the 
first  time  one  sassayby,  a  large  antelope  allied  to  the 
hartebeest,  and  of  a  purple  color.  Mountain  ranges 
bounded  the  view  on  every  side,  and  I  could  discover  by 
means  of  my  spy-glass  that  strips  of  forests  of  mimosa 
stretched  along  their  bases.  The  salt-pan  to  which  we 
had  come  was  of  an  oval  shape,  and  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  in  diameter. 

It  was  a  low  basin  w'hose  sides  sloped  gently  down, 
but  the  middle  was  a  dead  level  of  fine  sand.  Upon 
this  sand,  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  pan,  lay 
a  thick  layer  of  good  coarse  salt,  varying  from  one  to 
four  inches  in  depth.  Heavy  rains  fill  the  pan  or  basin 
wath  water,  and,  the  dry  season  succeeding,  the  water 
disappears,  and  large  deposits  of  salt  are  found.  These 
pans  or  salt-licks  are  met  with  in  several  parts  of  South 
Africa.  Those  which  mainly  supply  the  colony  with 
good  salt  are  situated  between  Utenage  and  Algoa  Bay; 
they  are  of  considerable  extent,  and  yield  a  surprising 
quantity.     Ostriches  and  almost  every  variety  of  ante- 


124  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

lope  frequent  these  pans  for  the  purpose  of  licking  the 
brack  or  salt  ground,  to  which  they  are  very  partial. 
The  pan  vi^hich  we  had  reached  was  formerly  visited 
by  Boers  and  Griquas  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  salt, 
but  had  of  late  years  been  abandoned  for  others  yield- 
ing it  of  a  better  quality.  The  country  around  was 
consequently  undisturbed;  and,  being  utterly  uninhab- 
ited, was  lonely,  and  as  still  as  the  grave. 

On  the  morning  of  the  21st  I  left  my  wagons  encamp- 
ed  beside  the  salt-pan,  and,  having  proceeded  about  half 
a  mile  in  a  northerly  direction  along  a  seldom-trodden 
wagon-track,  I  discovered  a  fountain  of  excellent  water, 
but  very  strongly  impregnated  with  saltpeter.  This 
fountain  I  afterward  learned  is  termed  by  the  Boers 
"  Cruit  Vonteyn,"  or  Powder  Fountain,  its  waters  re- 
sembling the  washings  of  a  gun-barrel ;  but  the  Gri- 
quas more  elegantly  call  it  "Stink  Vonteyn."  At 
breakfast-time  I  was  joined  by  a  party  of  ruffianly  Gri- 
quas, who  were  proceeding  with  a  dilapidated-looking 
wagon,  which  had  no  sail,  to  hunt  hartebeests  and  blue 
wildebeests  in  the  vicinity  of  a  small  fountain  to  the 
northeast,  where  game  was  reported  abundant.  They 
were  accompanied  by  several  wild-looking,  naked  Bush- 
men attendants,  whom  they  had  captured  when  young, 
and  domesticated.  These  drove  their  shooting-horses 
loose  behind  the  wag:;n,  grazing  as  they  went  along. 
I  also  observed  a  couple  of  milch  cows  with  calves 
among  their  loose  oxen,  a  healthy  luxury  without  which 
that  race  of  people  seldom  proceed  on  a  journey.  The 
country  occupied  by  the  Griquas  extends  from  Rhama, 
a  village  on  the  Orange  River,  about  thirty  miles  to  the 
east  of  my  present  position,  to  Griquastadt,  their  cap- 
ital, a  village  situated  about  a  hundred  miles  to  the 
northward  of  the  junction  of  the  Vaal  with  the  Orange 


THE    GRIQUAS    AND    BASTARDS.  125 

River.  They  are  governed  by  a  chief,  whose  name  is 
Waterboer.  These  men  are  of  Hottentot  origin,  and 
in  general  possess  the  distinguishing  features  of  that 
race,  such  as  broad,  flat  noses,  high  cheek-bones,  small, 
ele})hant  eyes,  thick  lips,  woolly  hair,  and  other  Hot- 
tentot peculiarities,  which,  in  the  present  enlightened 
state  of  society,  it  were  superfluous  to  enumerate. 
They  are,  however,  so  mixed  up  with  crosses  of  other 
tribes  that  every  ramification  of  breed  between  Boers, 
Bechuanas,  IMosambiques,  Corannas,  Namaqua  Hot- 
tentots, Bushmen,  &c.,  may  be  found  located  within 
their  territory.  All  of  these  intermarry.  Some  of 
them  have  long  black  hair,  while  the  craniums  of  oth- 
ers, such  as  the  Bushmen,  are  adorned  with  detached 
tufts  of  sickly-looking  crisp  wool,  and  the  issue  of  such 
unions  exhibit  locks  singularly  varied. 

Another  tribe  of  men  in  every  way  similar  to  these 
Griquas  inhabit  an  extensive  and  fertile  country  im- 
mediately to  the  east  of  their  territory.  These  men 
term  themselves  Bastards.  Their  chief's  name  is  Ad- 
am Kok.  The  name  of  their  capital  is  Philipolis,  a 
small  village  about  thirty  miles  to  the  north  of  Coles- 
berg,  Their  country  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  the 
Great  Orange  River,  and  is  about  the  most  desirable 
district  in  Southern  Africa  for  farming  purposes,  there 
being  abundance  of  fountains  throughout  its  whole  ex- 
tent capable  of  being  led  out  to  irrigate  the  land,  with- 
out which  no  gardens  can  be  formed,  nor  wheat  grown, 
in  that  country.  Rich  pasture  is  abundant.  Cattle 
and  sheep  thrive  and  breed  remarkably  well ;  goats  also 
an  animal  valuable  to  the  South  African  settler,  but  for 
which  only  certain  districts  are  suitable,  are  here  very 
prolific.  The  goat  in  many  districts  is  subject  to  a  dis- 
ease called  by  the  Boers  "  b^-iint  sickta,"  or  burnt  sick- 


126  ADVEN'J'URES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ness,  owing  to  the  animals  afflicted  with  it  exhibiting 
fclie  appearance  of  having  been  burned.  It  is  incura- 
ble ;  and  if  the  animals  infected  are  not  speedily  killed 
or  put  out  of  the  way,  the  contagion  rapidly  spreads, 
and  it  is  not  uncommon  for  a  farmer  to  lose  his  entire 
flock  with  it.  This  sad  distemper  also  extends  itself 
to  the  fercd  naiurcB.  I  have  sliot  hartebeests,  black 
wildebeests,  blesbucks,  and  springbucks,  with  their 
bodies  covered  with  this  disease.  I  have  known  sea- 
sons when  the  three  latter  animals  were  so  generally 
affected  by  it  that  the  vast  plains  throughout  which 
they  are  found  were  covered  with  hundreds  of  skulls 
and  skeletons  of  those  that  had  died  therefrom.  One 
of  the  chief  recommendations  of  the  Bastards'  country 
is  its  admirable  suitableness  for  breeding  horses.  Large 
herds  of  these  may  be  seen  throughout  their  country 
pasturing  high  on  the  mountain  sides,  or  scattered  in 
troops  over  its  grassy  plains.  The  deadly  distemper  so 
prevalent  along  the  frontiers  of  the  colony  is  here  of 
comparatively  rare  occurrence.  In  the  far  interior, 
however,  it  is  so  virulent  during  five  or  six  months  of 
the  year  that  it  is  often  impossible  to  save  a  single 
horse,  and  through  its  ravages  I  was  annually  in  the 
habit  of  losing  the  greater  part  of  my  stud. 

The  chiefs  of  the  Griquas  and  Bastards  are  in  close 
alliance  with  the  English  government,  which  protects 
them  from  the  attacks  of  the  rebel  Dutch  Boers.  These, 
well  aw^are  of  the  excellent  qualities  of  the  Bastards' 
country,  are  possessed  with  a  strong  desire  to  appropri- 
ate it.  The  language  spoken  by  both  these  tribes  is 
Dutch.  They  have,  in  general,  embraced  the  Christian 
religion,  and  several  worthy  missionaries  have,  for  sev- 
eral years  past,  devoted  their  lives  to  the  improvement 
of  their  temporal  and  eternal  condition.     The  dress 


COSTUME    OF    THE    GRIQUAS    AND    BASTARDS.  127 

worn  by  the  men  consists  of  home-made  leathern  jacket, 
waistcoat,  and  trowsers,  fcldtchoens,  or  home-made 
shoes,  a  Malay  handkerchief  tied  round  the  head,  and 
on  Sundays  and  other  great  occasions  a  shirt  and  a 
neckcloth.  The  females  wear  a  close-fitting  corset 
reaching  to  the  small  of  the  waist,  below  which  they 
sport  a  petticoat  like  the  women  of  other  countries. 
These  petticoats  are  sometimes  made  of  stufls  of  Brit- 
ish manufacture,  and  at  other  times  of  soft  leather  pre- 
pared by  themselves.  Their  head-dress  consists  of  two 
handkerchiefs,  one  of  black  silk,  the  other  of  a  striped 
red  and  green  color,  usually  termed  Malay  handker- 
chiefs. They  are  very  fond  of  beads  of  every  size  and 
color,  which  they  hang  in  large  necklaces  round  their 
necks.  They  have  one  description  of  bead  peculiar  to 
themselves  and  to  the  tribes  extending  along  the  banks 
of  the  Great  Orange  River  to  its  junction  with  the  sea. 
This  bead  is  formed  of  the  root  of  a  bush  found  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Orange  River,  and  possesses  a  sweet 
and  peculiar  perfume.  Every  Griqua  girl  wears  at 
least  one  of  these ;  and  no  traveler  who  has  once  learned 
to  prize  this  perfume  can  inhale  it  again  without  its  in- 
advertently recalling  to  his  memory  the  fine  dark  eyes 
and  fair  forms  of  the  semi-civilized  nymphs  frequenting 
the  northern  bank  of  the  Orange  stream. 

Their  houses  somewhat  resemble  a  bee-hive  or  ant- 
hill, consisting  of  boughs  of  trees  stuck  into  the  ground 
in  a  circular  form,  and  lashed  down  across  one  another 
overhead  so  as  to  form  a  frame-work,  on  which  they 
spread  large  mats  formed  of  reeds.  These  mats  are 
also  used  instead  of  wagon-sails,  and  arc  very  effectual 
in  resisting  both  sun  and  rain.  The  diameter  of  these 
dome-shaped  huts  varies  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet.  On 
changing  their  quarters,  which  they  are  occasionally 


128  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

compelled  to  do  on  account  of  pasture,  it  will  easily  be 
.understood  that  they  have  little  difficulty  in  removing 
their  house  along  with  them.  A  strong  pack-ox  can 
travel  with  the  whole  concern  placed  on  his  back  ;  and 
on  occasions  of  their  migration,  I  have  seen  a  pack-ox 
carrying  not  only  its  master's  house  on  its  back,  but 
also  a  complete  set  of  dairy  utensils,  all  manufactured 
of  wood,  a  couple  of  skin  bags  containing  thick  milk, 
various  cooking  utensils,  and,  surmounting  all,  the  guid- 
wife,  with  one  or  two  of  her  children.  They  are  all 
possessed  of  flocks  and  herds  of  goats,  sheep,  and  cattle. 
A  description  of  the  houses  and  manner  of  living  of 
these  people  may  serve  to  convey  an  idea  of  all  the 
tribes  that  border  on  the  Vaal  and  Orange  Rivers  to 
the  sea.  They  are,  without  exception,  of  an  indolent 
disposition,  and  averse  from  hard  work  of  any  descrip- 
tion. Much  of  their  time  is  spent  in  hunting,  and 
large  parties  annually  leave  their  homes  and  proceed 
with  their  wagons,  oxen,  and  horses  on  hunting  expedi- 
tions into  the  far  interior,  absenting  themselves  for  a 
period  of  from  three  to  four  months.  They  are  a  peo- 
ple remarkable  for  their  disregard  for  truth,  a  weakness 
which  I  regret  to  state  I  found  very  prevalent  in  South- 
ern Africa.  They  are  also  great  beggars,  generally 
commencing  by  soliciting  for  "  trexels,"  a  trexel  being 
a  pound  of  tea  or  coffee.  Knowing  the  gallantry  of  our 
nation,  they  affirm  this  to  be  a  present  for  a  wife  or 
daughter,  whom  they  represent  as  being  poorly.  If 
this  is  granted,  they  continue  theii  importunities,  suc- 
cessively fancying  your  hat,  neckcloth,  or  coat ;  and  1 
have  known  them  on  several  occasions  coolly  request 
me  to  exchange  my  continuations  for  their  leathern  in- 
expressibles, which  they  had  probably  worn  for  a  couplo 
of  summers. 


FOREST    OF    MIMOSAS.  129 

When  this  party  of  Griqnas  came  up  to  me,  being 
anxious  to  see  as  much  as  possible  of  the  natives  of 
those  parts  which  I  traversed,  I  invited  them  to  halt 
and  drink  coffee  with  me,  an  invitation  which  a  Griqua 
was  never  yet  known  to  decline.  They  informed  me 
that,  in  the  mountain  ranges  to  the  northeast,  koodoo 
were  to  be  met  with,  and  they  invited  me  to  accompany 
them  on  their  chasse.  When  breakfast  was  finished 
they  sent  their  wagon  in  advance,  with  instructions  to 
wait  for  their  arrival  at  the  fountain,  where  they  in- 
tended to  pitch  their  camp  ;  and,  having  saddled  up,  we 
all  set  forward  and  rode  east  to  hunt  koodoos  and  harte- 
beests,  or  any  other  game  we  might  fall  in  with.  After 
riding  three  or  four  miles,  on  approaching  the  base  of 
the  hills  we  entered  an  ancient  forest  of  mimosas,  every 
tree  being  a  study  for  an  artist.  There  was  also  a  con- 
siderable under-cover  of  various  sweet-smelling  shrubs 
and  bushes.  Here  steinbok  and  duyker  were  abundant. 
This  venerable  forest  extended  all  around  the  bases  of 
various  ranges  of  rocky  hills,  which  stretched  in  dilTer- 
ent  directions  through  these  plains.  Close  in,  at  tho 
foot  of  one  of  the  hills,  we  discovered  a  Bushman  resi- 
dence, consisting  of  three  small  huts,  each  about  four 
feet  high,  and  about  eight  in  diameter.  They  were 
formed  of  boughs  of  trees,  thatched  over  with  rank 
grass  drawn  up  by  the  roots.  The  natives,  as  usual, 
had  fled  on  our  approach,  and  no  living  creature  was  to 
be  seen.  I  entered  each  of  the  hats,  and  found  lots  of 
well  "  braid"  (or  dressed)  skins  of  all  the  wild  beasts 
of  these  parts.  All  their  dishes  were  made  either  of 
ostrich  eggs  or  of  the  shells  of  land  tortoises,  and  these 
were  ransred  round  the  floor  on  one  side  of  the  hut. 
Most  of  the  ostrich  egg-shells  contained  water. 

We  crossed  the  hills  by  a  stony  neck ;   and  having 
F  2 


130  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

proceeded  some  distance  through  several  well-wooded 
glades  and  hollows  in  the  table-land  of  the  hills,  we 
suddenly  looked  forth  upon  a  noble  prospect.  A  wide 
grassy  plain,  covered  with  picturesque  mimosas  and 
detached  clumps  of  ever-green  bushes,  stretched  away 
from  the  bases  of  the  hills  on  which  we  stood.  Beyond, 
the  landscape  was  shut  in  by  the  bold  and  abrupt  forms 
of  rugged  mountain  ranges,  which  were  colored  with 
a  softened  blue  tint.  Having  descended  into  this  line 
picturesque  plain,  we  held  north,  riding  parallel  with 
the  hilly  chain.  Presently,  my  comrades  adopting  a 
course  which  did  not  strike  me  as  the  most  likely  to 
fall  in  with  game,  I  chose  a  line  of  march  for  myself, 
and,  following  along  under  the  mountain  chain,  I  soon 
lost  sight  of  them,  and  saw  them  no  more  that  day. 
On  this  occasion  I  had  taken  the  field  without  any  after- 
rider.  Having  ridden  about  a  mile  further,  I  started  a 
doe  koodoo,  the  first  I  had  seen,  and  shortly  after  I 
started  another,  with  a  young  one,  which  I  determined 
to  secure,  there  being  no  flesh  in  our  camp.  Having 
pursued  it  a  short  distance,  I  came  suddenly  upon  a 
troop  of  koodoos,  consisting  of  three  bucks  and  several 
does.  Two  of  the  bucks  were  old  fellows,  and  carried 
magnificent,  wide-set,  long,  spiral  horns.  To  these  I 
instantly  directed  my  attention,  when  they  at  once 
made,  as  koodoos  invariably  do,  for  the  adjacent  rocky 
hills.  Their  pace  was  a  succession  of  long  bounds  over 
the  thorny  bushes,  which  sadly  distressed  my  poor  steed. 
I  nevertheless  gained  on  them,  and  would  have  as- 
suredly secured  one,  had  they  not  reached  a  stony  bar- 
rier of  sharp,  hard  rocks,  over  which  they  disappeared, 
and  where  my  horse  could  not  follow.  I  was  much 
struck  with  the  noble  appearance  of  these  two  buck 
koodoos,  and  felt  very  chagrined  in  having  been  nnfor- 


ORYXES    AND    ZEBRAS.  131 

tunate  with  them.  Having  lost  the  koodoos,  I  turned 
my  face  to  the  south,  and  rode  along  the  skirts  of  the 
forest,  in  hope  of  falling  in  with  my  comrades. 

I  had  ridden  about  a  mile,  when  I  suddenly  perceived 
a  gallant  herd  of  nine  old  oryxes  cantering  toward  me, 
all  of  them  carrying  horns  of  immense  length  and  beau- 
ty, surpassing  any  thing  I  had  hitherto  seen.  They 
were  preceded  by  four  beautifuHy-striped  zebras,  the 
first  I  had  met  with,  and  followed  by  two  brilliant  red 
hartebeests.  In  half  a  minute  I  was  flying  along  within 
sixty  yards  of  the  troop  of  oryxes,  carefully  studying 
the  horns  of  each,  and  at  a  loss  to  decide  which  was 
the  finest,  they  were  all  so  very  handsome.  As  I  swept 
along  I  deplored  my  folly  in  having  taken  the  field 
without  my  after-riders  ;  I  nevertheless  entertained 
hopes  of  success,  as  these  antelopes  had  evidently  been 
followed  by  the  Griquas  from  whom  I  parted.  They 
led  me  a  long  and  severe  chase  along  the  skirts  of  the 
hill,  the  wind  fortunately  blowing  right  across  them. 
After  riding  hard  for  several  miles  I  felt  my  horse  very 
much  distressed,  and  was  on  the  point  of  giving  up  the 
pursuit,  when  I  observed  one  old  bull  make  a  momentary 
halt  under  a  mimosa,  evidently  very  much  blown.  This 
gave  me  fresh  hope ;  I  resolved  to  follow  him  as  long 
as  my  horse  could  go,  and  once  more  I  gave  chase  with 
renewed  speed.  I  was  soon  riding  opposite  to  him, 
within  sixty  yards,  with  the  hill  on  the  other  side,  and 
by  a  desperate  effort  I  managed  to  cut  him  off  from  his 
comrades,  and  turn  his  head  down  the  wind.  His  fate 
was  now  sealed,  and  I  at  once  felt  that  he  was  mine. 
From  this  moment  his  pace  decreased,  and,  after  an- 
other half  mile  of  sharp  galloping  down  hill,  in  which 
I  gained  upon  him  at  every  stride,  I  was  riding  within 
fifteen  yards  of  his  handsome  round  stern.     His  ttnigne 


no 


ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 


was  now  hanging  from  his  mouth,  and  long  streaks  of 
foam  streamed  back  on  his  sides.  Suddenly,  on  round- 
ing a  thorny  bush,  he  pulled  up  in  his  career,  and, 
facing  about,  stood  at  bay.  I  sprang,  breathless  and 
worn  out,  from  my  panting  steed,  and  with  a  shaking 
hand  sent  a  bullet  through  his  shoulder,  when  he  fell 
and  breathed  his  last. 

This  noble  oryx  carried  the  finest  horns  I  had  met 
with,  and  I  had,  moreover,  the  satisfaction  of  knowing 
that  he  was  the  finest  in  the  herd.  Having  ofF-saddled 
and  knee-haltered  my  horse,  I  commenced  cutting  off 
the  head  of  the  oryx,  which  I  accomplished  with  some 
trouble,  the  skin  at  the  neck  being  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness. I  then  broke  thorny  branches  from  a  neighbor- 
ing mimosa,  which  I  heaped  over  the  carcass,  to  pro- 
tect it  from  the  vultures.  This  being  accomplished,  1 
returned  to  camp,  carrying  the  head  on  the  pommel  of 
the  saddle  before  me,  and  my  rifle  over  my  shoulder. 
On  occasions  like  this,  I  have  often  felt  that  I  should 
have  been  the  better  for  a  third  hand  for  the  manage- 
ment of  my  steed.  At  an  early  hour  on  the  following 
morning  I  left  my  wagons,  accompanied  by  two  after- 
riders,  to  look  for  koodoos,  and  secure  the  skin  of  the 
oryx  of  the  preceding  day.  Contrary  to  my  expecta- 
tions, the  hyaenas  had  not  discovered  him.  The  flesh, 
however,  owing  to  the  heat  of  the  weather,  was  un- 
serviceable. I  rode  with  my  boys  deployed  into  line 
along  the  likely  part  of  the  old  mimosa  forest,  hoping 
to  fall  in  with  koodoos.  Here  I  shot  two  fine  old  stein- 
boks,  with  very  good  horns,  and  these  I  carefully  pre- 
served for  my  collection.  By  firing  I  lost  a  chance  of 
koodoos,  as  I  presently  discovered  fresh  spoor  of  a  troop 
of  these  antelopes,  which  my  shots  had  disturbed. 

Returning  toward  my  wagons,  I  rode  through  a  gorge 


WILD  DOGS  AND  KOODOOS,  103 

in  the  mountains  where  I  had  started  a  pack  of  about 
thirty  wild  dogs  in  the  morning.  Observing  a  number 
of  vultures  sitting  on  the  rocks  about  the  place  from 
which  the  dogs  had  started,  I  at  once  knew  that  they 
had  kiiled  some  animal;  and  on  riding  up  I  discovered 
the  skeleton  of  an  old  doe  koodoo,  which  they  had  run 
into  and  consumed.  They  had  not  cracked  the  marrow- 
bones, which  the  hyeenas  would  have  done  if  left  there 
till  after  sunset.  These,  therefore,  my  Hottentots  hast- 
ily took  possession  of,  the  marrow  of  the  thigh-bones  of 
the  koodoo  being  by  them  esteemed  a  great  delicacy. 
Springing  from  their  horses,  they  triumphantly  seized 
the  skeleton;  and,  each  selecting  for  himself  a  couple 
of  stones,  they  sat  down  on  the  ground,  cracked  the 
marrow-bones,  and  greedily  devoured  their  raw  con- 
tents. On  reaching  the  wagons  we  found  an  extreme- 
ly ancient  and  shriveled-looking  Bushman,  who  chat- 
tered just  like  a  monkey.  He  signed  to  me  that  I  had 
visited  his  hut  on  the  preceding  day,  but  that  he  fear- 
ed the  Griquas  who  accompanied  me.  He  also  inti- 
mated that  he  feared  the  Boers;  but  he  knew,  from  the 
appearance  of  my  wagons,  that  they  belonged  to  an 
Englishman.  He  also  signified  to  me  that,  when  the 
moon  should  rise,  blue  wildebeests  would  come  and  drink 
at  "  Stink  Vonteyn."  This  fact  I  had  already  ascer- 
tained from  personal  observation,  having  seen  their  spoor 
by  the  water.  In  the  evening,  having  taken  several 
cups  of  strong  coffee  to  keep  me  awake,  I  walked  to 
the  fountain  with  four  of  my  followers,  bearing  spades 
and  pickax,  and  my  bedding,  to  watch  for  wild  animals. 
Having  constructed  a  shooting-hole,  my  men  retired, 
and  I  took  up  my  position  for  the  night,  which  was 
mild  and  lovely,  with  good  moonlight.  After  watch- 
ing several  hours  I  fell  asleep.     About  midnight  my 


134  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

light  sleep  was  disturbed  by  the  tramp  of  aporoachirig 
wild  animals.  I  peeped  from  my  hole,  and  s£.w  a  herd 
of  about  twenty  shaggy  blue  wildebeests,  or  brindled 
gnoos,  cautiously  advancing  to  the  water.  They  were 
preceded  by  a  patriarchal  old  bull,  the  finest  in  the 
herd.  I  fired  at  him,  and  heard  the  ball  tell  upon  his 
shoulder,  upon  which  he  and  the  whole  troop  galloped 
off  in  a  northerly  direction,  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  red 
dust.  Being  thirsty,  I  then  walked  up  to  the  eye  of 
the  fountain,  and,  having  imbibed  a  draught  of  its  sul- 
phurous water,  in  a  very  few  minutes  I  was  once  more 
asleep. 

On  the  23d  I  stood  up  in  my  hole  at  dawn  of  day, 
and,  having  donned  my  old  gray  kilt  and  Badenoch 
brogues,  took  up  the  spoor  of  the  herd  of  brindled 
gnoos.  After  I  had  proceeded  a  short  distance  I  per- 
ceived the  head  of  the  old  bull  looking  at  me  over  a 
small  rise  on  the  bushy  plain.  The  head  disappeared, 
and  I  heard  a  loud  noise  of  tramping,  as  of  an  animal 
endeavoring  to  gallop  upon  three  legs.  On  gaining  this 
rise  I  again  saw  the  handsome  head,  with  its  strangely- 
hooked,  fair-set  horns,  gazing  at  me  from  the  long  grass 
some  hundred  yards  in  advance.  He  had  lain  down. 
I  held  as  though  I  intended  to  go  past  him ;  but  before 
I  neared  him  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  endeavored  to 
make  off  from  me.  Poor  old  bull !  I  at  once  perceiv- 
ed that  it  was  all  over  with  him.  He  was  very  faint 
from  loss  of  blood,  and  one  fore  leg  was  broken  in  the 
shoulder.  He  made  a  tottering  run  of  about  a  hund- 
red yards,  and  again  lay  down,  never  more  to  rise.  1 
walketl  up  to  within  eighty  yards  of  him,  and  sent  a 
bullet  through  his  heart.  Receiving  the  ball,  he  rolled 
over  on  his  side,  and  expired  without  a  groan.  I  then 
made  for  my  wagons,  and  dispatched  men  with  a  span 


MARCH    TO    VAAL    RIVER.  135 

or  team  of  oxen  to  slip  the  wildebeest  to  camp.  He 
afforded  us  a  welcome  supply  of  excellent  flesh,  as  he 
was  in  fine  condition.  I  breakfasted  on  an  ostrich  egg, 
Kleinboy  having  found  a  nest  the  preceding  day.  He 
had,  unfortunately,  taken  only  eight  of  the  eggs  out  of 
the  nest,  foolishly  leaving  the  other  twelve,  which  on 
his  return  he  found  smashed  by  the  old  birds,  acoord- 
inof  to  their  usual  custom. 


CHAPTER   Vm. 

Vi  e  leave  Stink  Vonteyri  and  reach  the  Vaal  River — Wait-a-bit  Thorns 
— Chase  and  kill  a  Buck  Koodoo,  and  bivouac  on  the  Ground — Co- 
bus  and  Jacob  abscond — Roan  Antelope — We  recross  the  Vaal  River 
— Griqua  Encampment — Stink  Vonteyn  again — A  Flight  of  Locusts — 
A  Salt-pan — Salubrious  Climate — Boers  attempt  to  carry  off  Ruyter 
— A  Cameel-dorn  Forest — A  Brindled  Guoo  bayed  by  Wild  Dogs — 
Habits  of  the  latter. 

On  the  evening  of  the  24th  we  inspanned,  and,  leav- 
ing •'  Stink  A^onteyn,"  marched  upon  the  Vaal  River, 
distant  about  twenty-five  miles.  Our  road  lay  through 
soft  sand,  rendermg  the  work  very  severe  for  the  oxen. 
About  2  A.M.  on  the  following  morning  we  reached  the 
fair  Vaal  River  by  fine  moonlight.  Having  sent  mount- 
ed men  through  the  stream  to  ascertain  its  depth,  and 
finding  a  passage  practicable,  I  resolved  at  once  to  cross 
it — a  rule  generally  adopted  by  all  experienced  in  the 
country,  among  whom  a  general  maxim  prevails  never 
to  defer  the  passage  of  a  river  if  at  all  fordable  when 
they  reach  it.  Endless  are  the  stories  related  by  South 
African  travelers,  who,  by  failing  to  adopt  this  plan, 
have  been  compelled  to  remain  for  weeks,  and  even 


136  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

months,  on  the  banks  of  its  various  rivers.  The  cur- 
rent here  being  very  powerful,  I  mounted  the  leaders 
of  my  teams,  and  in  a  few  minutes  my  long  double  line 
of  oxen  was  stoutly  stemming  the  rapid  stream,  which 
reached  half  way  up  their  sides.  We  got  both  the 
wagons  across  in  safety.  The  water  had  just  reached 
the  bottom  of  my  cargoes,  but  did  not  damage  any 
thing.  The  bank  on  the  further  side  was  extremely 
steep  and  stony,  and  required  every  ox  to  exert  himself 
to  the  utmost.  The  river  here  is  very  beautiful ;  broad 
and  rapid  streams  are  succeeded  by  long,  deep,  and 
tranquil  pools,  termed  by  the  natives  "zekoe  ychots," 
signifying  sea-cow  or  hippopotamus'  holes,  these  vast 
and  wondrous  amphibious  animals  having,  not  many 
years  since,  been  plentiful  along  the  entire  length  of 
the  Vaal  River.  The  hippopotamus,  however,  hke  the 
elephant,  is  of  a  very  shy  and  secluded  disposition,  and 
rapidly  disappears  before  the  approach  of  civilization. 
■  I  drew  up  my  wagons  on  a  commanding  open  position 
on  the  northern  bank  of  the  stream.  The  margin  of 
the  Vaal,  like  the  Orange  River,  is  richly  clad  with 
dense  groves  of  various  evergreen  trees,  among  which 
drooping  willows  predominate,  whose  long  waving 
fringes  dip  gracefully  into  the  limpid  waters  as  they 
glide  along  in  their  seaward  course.  All  along  the 
banks  of  both  these  rivers  huge  trunks  of  trees  are 
strewn,  having  been  borne  thither  by  the  mighty  iloods 
to  which  they  are  annually  subject.  A  short  distance 
above  my  position  was  a  beautiful  island,  adorned  with 
trees  of  the  richest  verdure. 

About  3  P.M.  I  rode  northeast  to  look  for  roan  an- 
telopes, which,  next  to  the  eland,  are  the  largest  in  the 
world,  and,  being  incapable  of  great  speed,  may  at 
times  be  ridden  into  with  a  good  horse.     I  was  accora- 


WAIT-A-BIT    THORNS KOODOOS.  137 

panied  by  Cobus  and  Jacob.  We  found  the  country 
covered  with  bushes,  of  which  the  majority  were  of  a 
most  impracticable  description,  reminding  me  of  a  kill- 
devil,  an  implement  used  in  angling,  they  being  cover- 
ed with  thorns  on  the  fish-hook  principle.  This  variety 
of  mimosa  is  waggishly  termed  by  the  Boers  "  vyacht 
um  bige,"  or  wait-a-bit  thorns,  as  they  continually  so- 
licit the  passing  traveler  not  to  be  in  a  hurry;  if  he 
disregards  which  request,  the  probability  is  that  he 
leaves  a  part  of  his  shirt  or  trowsers  in  their  possession. 
Here  and  there  were  hills  covered  with  sharp  adamant- 
ine rocks,  throughout  which,  however,  there  was  abund- 
ance of  excellent  grass  and  fine  green  bushes.  In 
short,  it  was  just  the  country  to  suit  the  taste  of  the 
rock-loving  koodoos.  Having  proceeded  some  miles, 
we  discovered  fresh  spoor  of  a  troop  of  them  at  the  foot 
of  one  of  the  ranges  of  rocky  hills.  We  then  crossed 
the  ridge,  still  finding  spoor,  and  the  country  becoming 
more  and  more  likely. 

Suddenly,  on  raising  our  eyes,  we  saw  standing  on 
the  hill-side,  within  three  hundred  yards  of  us,  five  buck 
koodoos,  four  of  which  were  tearing  old  fellows  carry- 
ing extremely  fine  horns ;  and  majestic  as  they  were, 
the  elevated  position  which  they  occupied  imparted  to 
them  a  still  more  striking  appearance.  We  galloped 
toward  them,  on  which  they  bounded  higher  up  the 
rocky  hill,  and  stood  for  a  few  seconds  looking  at  us. 

I  had  seen  many  sights  thrilling  to  a  sportsman,  but 
few  to  surpass  what  I  then  beheld.  I  think  an  old 
buck  koodoo,  when  seen  standing  broadside  on,  is  de- 
cidedly one  of  the  grandest-looking  antelopes  in  the 
world.  They  now  broke  into  two  lots,  the  two  finest 
bucks  holding  to  the  left,  and  to  these  we  gave  chase. 
Thev  led  us  over  the  most  terrific  "round  for  horses 


'  38  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFPaCA. 

that  can  be  imagined.  It  consisted  of  a  mass  of  large, 
sharp  adamantine  pieces  of  rock ;  even  the  rock-fre- 
quenting koodoos  themselves  made  bad  weather  of  it. 
Cobus,  on  this  occasion,  rode  in  a  manner  which  as- 
tonished me.  He  was  mounted  on  "  The  Cow,"  which 
steed,  having  in  its  youth  led  an  unrestrained  life,  as 
most  Cape  horses  do,  in  the  rugged  mountains  of  the 
Hantam,  bounded  along  the  hill-side  in  a  style  worthy 
of  a  klipspringer.  A  fiat  of  considerable  extent,  cov- 
ered with  tall  bushes,  intervened  between  us  and  a  long 
range  of  high  table-land  to  the  northward,  along  the 
base  of  which,  for  an  extent  of  many  miles,  stretched 
a  dense  forest  of  wait-a-bit  thorns  and  mimosas.  This 
forest  was  the  head-quarters  of  the  koodoos,  and  for  it 
they  nov/  held,  breaking  away  across  the  above-men- 
tioned flat.  That  forest,  however,  the  finest  koodoo 
was  destined  never  to  reach.  As  soon  as  we  got  clear 
of  the  rocky  ground,  our  horses  gained  upon  them  at 
every  stride ;  and  Cobus,  who  was  invariably  far  be- 
fore me  in  every  chase,  was  soon  alongside  of  the  finest 
Here,  in  the  dense  bushes,  we  lost  sight  of  his  comrade 
Cobus  very  soon  prevailed  on  the  koodoo  to  alter  his 
tack,  and  strike  off  at  a  tangent  from  his  former  course, 
when,  by  taking  a  short  cut  like  a  greyhound  running 
cunning,  I  got  within  range,  and  with  a  single  ball  I 
rolled  him  over  in  the  dust.  I  felt  more  pleasure  in 
obtaining  this  fine  specimen  of  a  buck  koodoo  than  any 
thing  I  had  yet  shot  in  Africa.  He  was  a  first-rate 
old  buck,  and  carried  a  pair  of  ponderous,  long,  wide- 
set  spiral  horns. 

Owing  to  the  nature  of  the  ground  which  they  fre- 
quent, it  is  a  very  difficult  matter  to  ride  them  down, 
and  they  are  more  usually  obtained  by  stalking  or 
stealing  stealthily  upon  them.     When,  however,  the 


A    PRIMITIVE    COUCH,  139 

hunter  discovers  a  heavy  old  buck  koodoo  on  level 
ground,  there  is  no  great  difficulty  to  ride  into  him, 
his  speed  and  endurance  being  very  inferior  to  that  of 
the  oryx.  I  could  have  stood  contemplating  him  for 
hours,  but  darkness  was  fast  setting  in  ;  so,  having  oft- 
saddled  and  knee-haltered  our  horses,  we  carefully  re- 
moved the  head  and  commenced  skinning  him.  "The 
skin  of  the  koodoo,  though  thin,  is  extremely  tough, 
and  is  much  prized  by  the  colonists  for  "  foreslooks," 
or  lashes  for  ox-wagon  whips.  The  koodoo-skin  was 
my  mattress,  my  saddle  was  my  pillow ;  and  supper- 
less  I  lay  down  to  rest,  without  any  covering  save  an 
old  shirt  and  a  pair  of  leather  crackers.  The  excite- 
ment of  the  thrilling  sport  which  I  had  enjoyed  pre- 
vented my  sleeping  until  a  late  hour ;  and  when  at 
length  I  closed  my  eyes,  I  dreamed  that  we  were  sur- 
rounded by  a  troop  of  lions,  and,  awaking  with  a  loud 
cry,  startled  my  men  and  horses. 

On  the  26th  we  arose  at  earliest  dawn,  and  having 
packed  the  trophies  of  the  koodoo  and  a  part  of  his  flesh 
upon  my  spare  horse,  I  dispatched  Jacob  with  him  to 
camp,  while  Cobus  and  I  held  northeast  to  seek  for 
roan  antelope.  I  sought  that  day  and  the  two  follow- 
ing for  these  antelopes,  but  saw  no  traces  of  them. 

On  the  morning  of  the  30th  I  inspanned,  and  trekked 
some  miles  further  up  the  northern  bank  of  the  Vaal, 
and  encamped  opposite  where  the  Rict  or  Reed  River 
joins  it.  The  stream  here  is  extremely  beautiful,  be- 
ing about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  breadth,  with 
sloping  banks  richly  adorned  with  shady  evergreen 
groves,  and  fringed  with  lofty  reeds — a  never-failing 
prognosticator  of  a  sleepless  night,  a  virulent  species 
of  musquito  being  always  abundant  where  reeds  are 
met  with.     Several  large  bustards  were  stalking  on  a 


140  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

small  bushy  flat  as  we  drew  up  the  wagons.  I  went 
after  these,  and  made  a  fine  ofF-hand  shot  at  an  old 
cock  at  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  Here  I  lost  Cobus 
and  Jacob,  my  two  Hottentot  after-riders.  Returning 
from  the  bustards  to  my  wagons,  where  I  expected  to 
find  my  breakfast  waiting  me,  I  discovered  these  two 
worthies,  whose  duty  it  was  to  be  preparing  it,  quietly 
reclining  under  the  shade  of  a  mimosa,  and  enjoying 
the  soothing  influence  of  their  short  clay  pipes.  Being 
now  beyond  the  pale  of  magisterial  law,  I  deemed  that 
a  little  wholesome  correction  might  prove  beneficial, 
which  I  accordingly  administered.  This  so  disgusted 
these  high-minded  youths,  that  after  breakfast  they 
embraced  the  opportunity  of  my  bathing  to  abscond 
from  my  service.  I  imagined  that  they  had  sneaked 
into  the  bushes,  and  would  soon  return.  I,  however, 
saw  no  more  of  them  until  several  months  after,  when 
I  met  them  at  Colesberg,  which  place  they  had  reach- 
ed, assisted  by  the  Bastards,  through  whose  country 
they  had  passed.  Cobus,  though  a  first-rate  after- 
rider,  was  a  great  scamp  and  mischief-maker ;  and  I 
learned  from  my  remaining  people  that  it  was  by  his 
persuasion  Jacob  had  left  me. 

In  the  forenoon,  the  sun  being  extremely  powerful, 
I  built  for  myself  a  bower  under  an  old  willow  beside 
the  river.  In  this  bower  I  made  my  bed,  and  might 
have  had  a  sound  sleep  by  way  of  a  change,  had  not 
the  musquitoes  and  midges  assaulted  me  throughout 
the  whole  night,  so  that  I  hardly  closed  my  eyes.  The 
31st  was  a  charming  cool  day,  the  sky  beautifully  over- 
cast. Having  enjoyed  a  good  swim  in  the  waters  of 
the  Vaal,  I  breakfasted,  after  which  I  saddled  up,  and 
rode  north  to  seek  for  roan  antelope.  I  was  accompa- 
nied by  Carollus,  the  native  of  Mozambique,  who  was 


TERRIFIC    STORAL  141 

much  too  heavy  to  act  as  after-rider,  and  by  the  little 
Bushboy  named  Ruyter,  who  had  joined  me  on  the 
plains  of  the  karroo.  This  Bushboy,  although  he  had 
learned  to  ride  among  the  Boers,  had  an  indifferent  seat 
on  horseback,  and  would  never  push  his  horse  to  over- 
take any  antelope  if  the  ground  were  at  all  rough. 

Having  explored  the  country  to  a  considerable  dis- 
tance, in  the  course  of  which  we  fell  in  with  four  sas- 
sabies  and  a  troop  of  hartebeests,  I  resolved  to  make  for 
home,  as  the  darkening  sky  and  distant  thunder  to  tlie 
southward  threatened  a  heavy  storm.  I  had  not  long, 
however,  determined  on  returning,  when  the  wind, 
which  had  been  out  of  the  nortii,  suddenly  veered  round, 
and  blew  hard  from  the  south.  In  less  than  half  an 
hour  ihe  rain  descended  in  torrents,  the  wind  blew  ex- 
tremely cold,  and  the  rain  beat  right  in  my  face ;  the 
peals  of  thunder  were  most  appalling,  the  most  fear- 
ful, I  think,  I  had  ever  heard,  the  forked  lightning 
dancing'  above  and  around  me  w4th  such  vividness  as 
to  pain  my  eyes :  I  thought  every  moment  would  be 
my  last.  I  shifted  my  saddle  from  "  Sunday"  to  "  The 
Cow,"  and  we  pricked  along  at  a  smart  pace.  We 
were  entering  a  thicket  of  thorny  bushes,  when  a  very 
large  gray-looking  antelope  stood  up  under  one  of  them. 
I  could  not  see  his  head,  but  I  at  once  knew  that  it 
was  the  long-sought- for  roan  antelope,  or  bastard  gems- 
bok.  CaroUus  quickly  handed  me  my  little  Moore  ri- 
fle, secure  from  the  pelting  storm  in  one  of  Mr.  Hugh 
Snowie's  patent  water-proof  covers.  The  noble  buck 
now  bounded  forth,  a  superb  old  male,  carrying  a  pair 
of  grand  cimeter-shaped  horns.  He  stood  nearly  five 
feet  high  at  the  shoulder.  "  The  Cow"  knew  well  what 
he  had  to  do,  and  set  off  after  him  with  right  good  will 
over  a  most  impracticable  country.     It  was  a  sncce.s 


142  T^DVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

sion  of  masses  of  adamantine  rock  and  stone,  and  dense 
bushes  with  thorns  on  the  boat-hook  principle.  In  a  few 
minutes  my  legs  below  the  knee  were  a  mass  of  blood, 
and  my  shirt,  my  only  covering,  was  flying  in  stream- 
ers from  my  waist.  The  old  buck  at  first  got  a  little 
ahead,  but  presently,  the  ground  improving,  I  gained 
upon  him,  and  after  a  sharp  burst  of  about  two  miles 
we  commenced  ascending  a  slight  acclivity,  when  he 
suddenly  faced  about  and  stood  at  bay,  eyeing  me  with 
glowing  eyes  and  a  look  of  defiance.  This  was  to  me 
a  joyfal  moment.  The  buck  I  had  for  many  years 
heard  of  and  longed  to  meet  now  stood  at  bay  within 
forty  yards  of  me.  I  dismounted,  and,  drawing  my  ri- 
fle from  its  holster,  sent  a  bullet  through  his  shoulder, 
upon  which  he  cantered  a  short  distance  and  lay  down 
beside  a  bush.  On  my  approach  he  endeavored  to 
charge,  but  his  strength  failed  him.  I  then  gave  him 
a  second  shot  in  the  neck,  just  where  I  always  cut  off 
the  head.  On  receiving  it  he  rolled  over,  and,»stretch- 
ing  his  limbs,  closed  his  eyes  upon  the  storm,  which  all 
this  time  raged  with  increasing  severity. 

I  felt  extremely  cold.  I  had  lost  my  shirt  in  the  chase, 
and  all  that  was  left  me  was  my  shoes  and  leather  knee- 
breeches.  I  nevertheless  took  some  time  to  inspect  the 
beautiful  and  rare  antelope  which  I  had  been  fortunate 
enough  to  capture.  He  proved  to  be  a  first-rate  spec- 
imen :  his  horns  were  extremely  rough  and  finely  knot- 
ted. I  now  proceeded  to  cut  off  his  head  and  "  gral 
loched"  him,  all  of  which  I  accomplished  before  my  fol- 
lowers came  up.  They  stumbled  on  me  by  chance,, 
having  lost  sight  of  me  in  the  denseness  of  the  storm, 
Having  shifted  my  saddle  from  "The  Cow"  to  "Coles- 
berg,"  I  ordered  them  to  follow,  and  I  rode  hard  for 
camp,  which  was  distant  many  miles.     At  sunset  the 


A    TROOP    OF    YOUNG    OSTRICHES.  143 

storm  ceased,  and  my  boys  arrived  with  tlie  head.  The 
following  day  was  the  1st  of  February.  In  the  morn- 
ing I  dispatched  two  men  to  bring  home  the  skin  of  the 
roan  antelope  and  a  supply  of  the  venison,  which  was 
in  high  condition.  Strange  to  say,  they  found  the  buck 
all  safe,  having  escaped  the  attacks  both  of  liysenas  and 
vultures. 

My  meal-bag  was  reported  almost  empty ;  and  this 
being  a  dangerous  country  for  the  horse-sickness,  a 
distemper  which  rages  during  February,  March,  and 
April,  I  resolved  to  recross  the  Vaal  River,  and  bend 
my  course  for  the  land  of  blesboks,  a  large  and  beau 
tiful  violet-colored  antelope,  which  is  found,  together 
with  black  wildebeests  and  springboks,  in  countless 
thousands  on  the  vast  green  plains  of  short  sour  grass 
situated  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  east- 
ward of  my  then  position.  My  purpose  was  to  amuse 
myself  hunting  in  these  parts  until  the  beginning  of 
April,  when  the  most  dangerous  period  of  the  horse-sick- 
ness would  be  past,  and  after  that  to  revisit  Colesberg, 
where  I  intended  to  store  the  specimens  of  natural  his 
tory  which  I  had  already  accumulated,  and,  having  re- 
fitted and  laid  in  a  store  of  supplies,  to  start  for  the  re- 
mote districts  of  the  far  interior  in  quest  of  elephant, 
rhinoceros,  giraffe,  buffalo,  eland,  and  other  varieties  of 
large  and  interesting  game  to  be  found  in  those  seclud- 
ed regions.  Before  removing  from  my  present  en- 
campment I  had  another  hard  day  among  the  sharp 
rocks  and  wait-a-bit  thorns  to  the  northward  of  the 
Vaal,  when  I  Idl  in  with  a  troop  of  about  twelve  young 
ostriches,  which  were  not  much  larger  than  Guinea- 
fowls.  I  was  amused  to  see  the  mother  endeavor  to 
lead  us  away  exactly  like  a  wild  duck,  spreading  out 
and  drooping  her  wings,  and  throwing  herself  down  on 


144  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

the  [ground  before  us  as  if  wounded,  while  the  cock  bird 
cunningly  led  the  brood  away  in  an  opposite  direction. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  3d  of  February  we  inspan- 
ned,  and  retraced  our  steps  to  the  drift,  which  we 
reached  in  the  d'ark  :  I,  however,  crossed  the  river,  and 
encamped  on  the  opposite  bank.  On  the  following  day 
[  marched  to  a  small  kraal  of  Griquas,  in  hope  of  ob- 
taining some  corn.  Our  march  was  a  heavy  one,  through 
a  sandy  country  adorned  in  parts  with  very  ancient-look- 
ing picturesque  trees  of  the  "  cameel-dorn"  species. 
From  the  site  of  these  kraals  I  obtained  a  distant  view 
of  both  the  Vaal  and  Orange  River.  I  found  these  Gri- 
quas very  importunate,  flocking  round  my  wagons  and 
begging  for  tea,  coffee,  tobacco,  gunpowder,  &c.  Some 
if  these  ruffians  formed  a  plot  to  make  me  give  up  the 
Bushboy  who  had  entered  my  service,  but,  on  my 
threatening  them  with  the  vengeance  of  government 
if  they  interfered  with  any  men  in  my  service,  they 
relinquished  the  idea.  On  the  morrow  it  was  ascer- 
tained that  the  oxen,  having  missed  the  fountain,  had 
wandered  very  far  in  search  of  water  :  they  were  re- 
covered more  than  half  way  back  to  the  Vaal  River. 
1  purchased  eight  "emirs"  or  measures  of  wheat  from 
one  of  the  Griquas,  and  also  a  couple  of  goats  for  slaugh- 
ter. In  the  afternoon  we  inspanned,  and  trekked  to 
"  Stink  Vonteyn,"  already  mentioned.  On  the  march 
I  shot  a  large  hawk,  a  species  of  buzzard,  with  ball, 
and  also  a  steinbok,  at  a  hundred  and  sixty  yards.  On 
the  following  morning  the  Namaqua  partridges,  which 
every  morning  and  evening  visit  the  vleys  and  fount- 
ains in  large  coveys  for  the  purpose  of  drinking,  mus- 
tered in  great  force  at  "  Stink  Vonteyn."  Of  these 
birds  I  have  met  with  three  varieties.  They  are  abund- 
ant wherever  extensive  open  sandy  districts  occur,  as 


FLIGHT    OF    LOCUSTS.  145 

far  as  I  have  penetrated  into  Southern  Africa.  By 
watching  the  flight  of  these  birds  in  the  mornings  and 
evenings  1  have  discovered  the  fountains  in  the  desert, 
when  unassisted  and  forsaken  by  the  natives.  As  they 
fly  they  repeatedly  utter  a  soft,  melodious  cry,  resem- 
bling the  words  "  pretty,  pretty  dear."  They  are  ex- 
cellent eating,  and  a  person  so  disposed,  by  mounting 
a  pair  of  shot-barrels,  might,  any  morning  or  evening, 
secure  a  large  bag  of  them. 

In  the  forenoon  I  observed  the  base  of  an  extensive 
range  of  hills  to  the  northward,  concealed  for  miles,  as 
if  by  thick  clouds  or  mist,  which  steadily  advanced  to- 
ward us,  holding  a  southerly  course.  This  was  a  flight 
of  countless  myriads  of  locusts,  in  my  opinion  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  phenomena  that  a  traveler  can  be- 
hold. They  resembled  very  much  a  fall  of  snow,  when 
it  gently  descends  in  large  light  flakes.  The  sound 
caused  by  their  wings  reminded  me  of  the  rustling  of 
the  summer  breeze  among  the  trees  of  the  forest.  In 
the  afternoon  I  hunted  in  a  mountain  range  to  the 
westward  of  the  salt-pan,  named  by  the  Boers  and  Bas- 
tards "  Saut-pan's  berg;"  and  in  the  evening  I  visited 
the  old  Bushman's  hut,  whom  I  found  at  home  with  a 
litter  of  very  small  Bush-children:  these  he  signified 
to  me  were  his  grandchildren.  I  lay  down  to  sleep  be- 
neath an  aged  mimosa  in  their  vicinity,  and  about  mid- 
night the  wind  set  in  from  off  the  Southern  Ocean,  and, 
having  no  covering  but  my  shirt,  I  felt  it  piercingly  cold, 
Sleep  was  out  of  the  question,  and  I  was  right  glad 
when  I  heard  the  sparrow's  chirp  announcing  the  dawn 
of  day.  Notwithstanding  these  nocturnal  exposures, 
my  health  since  leaving  my  regiment  had  been  perfect 
— not  a  twitch  of  rheumatism,  a  complaint  from  which 
I  suffered  while  in  India,  although  I  had  ceased  to  wear 

Vol.  I.— a 


146  ADVENTURE'S    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

flannel,  which  I  had  previously  done  for  years:  I  can, 
therefore,  confidently  recommend  the  country  to  those 
that  suffer  from  that  most  grievous  affliction.  Colds, 
coughs,  and  sore  throats  are  of  rare  occurrence ;  and 
scientific  persons,  in  whose  opinions  I  can  place  the  ut- 
most reliance,  have  informed  me  that  the  frontier  dis- 
tricts of  the  colony,  and  still  more  the  remoter  dis- 
tricts to  the  northward,  are  the  finest  in  the  world  for 
persons  laboring  under  any  pulmonary  complaint.  At 
times  I  felt  very  lonely  when  I  returned  to  camp  for 
want  of  some  old  companion  to  welcome  me,  and  dis- 
cuss with  me,  in  the  evenings,  over  my  gipsy  fire,  the 
adventures  and  incidents  of  the  day  :  in  general,  how- 
ever, when  the  sport  was  good,  I  enjoyed  excellent 
spirits. 

On  reaching  my  wagons  I  breakfasted,  after  which 
wo  inspanned  and  trekked  east  along  a  very  rarely 
trodden  old  wagon-track,  making  for  a  small  ^untain 
situated  on  the  borders  of  a  large  pan,  which  lay  in  a 
broad  hollow  in  the  center  of  an  extensive  open  tract 
of  undulating  country.  Here  the  entire  country  was 
of  a  soft,  sandy  character,  and  utterly  uninhabited  ; 
the  plains  were  covered  with  long,  rough  heath  and 
other  low  scrubby  bushes,  intermingled  with  much 
sweet  grass.  Ranges  of  hills  of  goodly  height  and  con- 
siderable extent  intersected  the  plains,  and  bounded  the 
view  at  various  distances  on  every  side.  Ancient  for- 
ests of  picturesque  and  venerable  mimosas,  interspersed 
with  high,  gray-leaved  bushes,  detached  and  in  groups, 
stretched  along  the  bases  of  these  mountain-ranges, 
their  breadth  extending  about  a  mile  into  the  surround- 
ing extensive  campaign  country.  We  reached  the  small 
fountain  in  the  dark,  our  road  leading  through  the  salt- 
pan, where  we  halted  for  an  hour  for  the  purpose  of 


ATTEMPT  TO  CARRY  OFF  RUYTER.        147 

collecting  salt.  We  had  little  difficulty  in  filling  two 
large  sacks  with  it. 

The  next  day,  as  we  crossed  a  vast  plain,  a  flight  of 
locusts  passed  over  our  heads  during  upward  of  half  an 
hour,  flying  so  thick  as  to  darken  the  sun  ;  they  reached 
in  dense  clouds  as  far  as  we  could  see,  and  maintained 
an  elevation  of  from  six  to  three  or  four  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  plain.  Woe  to  the  vegetation  of 
the  country  on  which  they  alight !  In  the  afternoon 
two  mounted  Boers  were  observed  leading  a  spare  horse 
and  following  on  our  track.  While  they  were  yet  afar 
oft',  Ruyter,  the  little  Bushboy,  recognized  them  as  old 
acquaintances,  and  pronounced  one  of  them  to  be  the 
brother  of  the  master  from  whom  he  had  absconded.  I 
at  once  guessed  the  object  of  their  visit,  and  was  right 
in  my  conjecture.  By  some  clew  they  had  ascertained 
that  the  boy  was  in  my  possession,  and  were  now  fol- 
lowing me  in  the  hope  of  recovering  him.  According- 
ly, when  they  rode  up  and  requested  me  to  halt  the 
wagons  for  a  conference,  I  received  them  very  gruffly, 
and  replied  that,  the  water  being  distant,  I  had  no  time 
for  conferences  until  I  should  arrive  there.  Having  re- 
peated their  request,  and  finding  that  I  paid  them  no 
regard,  they  took  up  a  position  in  the  rear,  and  followed 
my  wagons  to  the  halting-place.  Here  they  began  to 
pester  me  with  a  long  yarn  concerning  their  claims  to 
the  Bushboy,  when  I  stopped  their  pratings  by  ordering 
them  to  drop  the  subject,  promising  them  a  hearing  in 
the  morning ;  and  having  directed  my  people  to  place 
refreshments  before  the  Boers,  I  wished  them  good- 
night, and  retired. 

On  the  following  morning  they  renewed  their  impor- 
tunities, stating  many  things  which  I  knew  to  be  false; 
upon  which  Unformed  them  that  the  nation  to  whioli 


148  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

I  belonged  was  averse  to  slavery,  and  that  I  could  not 
think  of  acceding  to  their  demand.  They  then  saddled 
up,  and  departed  as  wise  as  they  had  come,  telling  me 
that  the  matter  should  not  rest  there.  The  little  Bush- 
man seemed  highly  amused  with  the  whole  proceeding; 
and  as  the  Boers  mounted  their  steeds  and  rode  away, 
leading  the  spare  horse,  he  shrieked  with  delight,  ex- 
claiming in  Low  Dutch,  "  Yah,  yilia  forfluxta  Boera, 
yilla  had  de  chadachta  me  te  chra,  mar  ik  heb  noo  a 
ghroote  baas,  dat  sail  yilla  neuk  ;"  signifying  "  Yes, 
you  worthless  Boers,  you  thought  to  get  hold  of  me ; 
but  I  have  now  a  great  master,  who  will  serve  you  out." 
The  Boers  having  departed,  and  my  oxen  and  horses 
having  effaced  all  original  traces  around  the  fountain, 
I  described  a  circle  a  little  distance  from  it  to  ascertain 
if  it  was  much  frequented.  This  is  the  manner  in 
which  spoor  should  at  all  times  be  sought  for.  -  I  found 
a  tolerable  abundance  of  the  spoor  of  various  wild  ani- 
mals, and  I  therefore  resolved  to  remain  here  some  days 
for  the  purpose  of  hunting.  I  removed  my  wagons  to 
an  adjacent  hollow,  where  I  drew  them  up  entirely  con- 
cealed from  view,  and  then  constructed  a  shooting-hole 
beside  the  fountain,  where  for  several  mornings,  at  early 
dawn,  I  shot  hartebeests  as  they  came  to  drink. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  I  rode  northeast  with  at- 
tendants, and  after  proceeding  several  miles  through  an 
open  country  we  entered  a  beautiful  forest  of  camcel- 
dorn  trees,  and  rode  along  beneath  a  range  of  steep 
rocky  hills.  The  country  gave  me  the  idea  of  extreme 
antiquity,  where  the  hand  of  man  had  wrought  no 
change  since  the  Creation.  In  a  finely-wooded  broad 
valley  or  opening  among  the  hills,  we  fell  in  with  a 
magnificent  herd  of  about  sixty  blue  wildebeests.  As 
they  cantered  across  the  grassy  sward,  tossing  their 


A    GNOO    BAYED    BY    \VILD    DOGS.  149 

fierce-looking,  ponderous  heads,  their  shaggy  manes 
and  long,  black,  bushy  tails  streaming  in  the  breeze, 
they  presented  an  appearance  at  once  striking  and  im- 
posing ;  and  to  a  stranger  they  conveyed  rather  the  idea 
of  buffaloes  than  any  thing  belonging  to  the  antelope 
tribe,  to  which,  indeed,  wildebeests,  both  black  and 
white,  are  but  remotely  allied,  notwithstanding  the 
classification  of  naturalists. 

About  midnight  on  the  IGth,  weary  with  tossing  on 
my  restless  couch,  I  arose,  and  taking  my  two-grooved 
rifle,  a  pillow,  and  a  blanket,  I  held  for  my  shooting- 
hole  beside  the  fountain.  The  remainder  of  the  night 
was  very  cool,  with  a  southerly  breeze.  At  dawn  I 
looked  from  my  hole,  and,  seeing  no  game  approaching, 
I  rolled  my  blanket  tight  around  me  and  tried  to  sleep. 
In  this  manner  I  had  lain  for  about  half  an  hour,  when 
I  was  suddenly  startled  by  a  large,  heavy  animal  gal- 
loping past  within  six  feet  of  me.  I  at  once  knew  that 
it  must  be  either  some  beast  which  had  been  coming  to 
drink  and  had  got  my  wind,  or  one  hunted,  which,  ac- 
cording to  the  custom  of  deer  and  the  larger  antelopes, 
had  rushed  for  refuge  to  the  water  in  its  distress.  In 
the  latter  conjecture  I  was  right ;  for,  on  cautiously 
peeping  through  the  stones  which  surrounded  my  hole, 
I  had  the  plea.sure  to  behold  a  fine  bull  brindled  gnoo 
dash  into  the  waters  of  the  fountain  within  forty  yards 
of  me,  and  stand  at  bay,  followed  by  four  tearing,  fierce- 
looking  wild  dogs.  All  the  four  had  their  heads  and 
shoulders  covered  with  blood,  and  looked  savage  in  the 
extreme.  They  seemed  quite  confident  of  success,  and 
came  leisurely  up  to  the  bull,  passing  within  a  few 
yards  of  me,  their  eyes  glistening  with  ferocious  glee. 

My  anxiety  to  possess  this  fine  old  bull,  and  also  a 
specimen  of  the  wild  dog,  prevented  my  waiting  to  see 


150  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

more  of  the  fan.  I  deliberated  for  a  few  seconds  \\liethei 
T  would  shoot  the  ball  first  or  one  of  the  hounds,  and 
ended  by  shooting  the  gnoo  and  the  largest  hound  right 
and  left.  The  bull,  on  receiving  the  ball,  bounded  out 
of  the  fountain ;  but,  suddenly  wheeling  about,  he  re- 
entered it,  and,  staggering  violently  for  a  moment,  sub- 
sided in  its  waters.  The  hound  got  the  bullet  through 
his  heart,  and,  springing  forward  from  his  comrades, 
instantly  measured  his  length  upon  the  gravel.  I  then 
quickly  reloaded  my  rifle,  lying  on  my  side  ;  a  proceed- 
ing which,  I  may  inform  those  who  have  not  yet  tried 
it,  is  rather  difficult  to  accomplish.  While  1  was  thus 
occupied  the  three  remaining  hounds  reluctantly  with- 
drew, and  described  a  semicircle  to  leeward  of  me  for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  my  wind  and  more  correctly 
ascertaining^  the  cause  of  their  discomfitui'e.  Havins; 
loaded,  I  reopened  my  fire,  and  wounded  another,  when- 
Ihey  all  made  off. 

I  could  not  help  feeling  very  reluctant  to  fire  at  the 
jolly  hounds.  The  whole  affair  reminded  me  so  very 
forcibly  of  many  gallant  courses  I  had  enjoyed  in  the 
Scottish  deer-forests  with  my  own  noble  deer-hounds, 
that  I  could  not  divest  myself  of  the  idea  that  those 
now  before  me  deserved  a  better  recompense  for  the 
masterly  manner  in  which  they  were  pursuing  their 
desperate  game.  One  hound,  in  particular,  bore  a 
strong  expres.sion  of  dear  old  Factor  in  his  face,  a  trusty 
stag-hound  bred  by  myself,  whose  deeds,  though  not  re- 
nowned in  verse  like  Ossian's  Oscar  and  Luath,  were 
perhaps  little  inferior  either  in  speed  or  prowess  to  those 
lamed  in  ancient  song.* 

*  The  wild  dogs,  or  "  wilde  honden,"  as  they  ai'e  termed  by  the 
Dutch  Boers,  are  still  abundant  in  the  precincts  of  the  Cape  colony,  and 
are  met  with  in  great  numbers  throughout  the  interior.    These  animals 


HABITS    OF    THE    WILD    DOG.  151 

Having  summoned  my  men,  and  with  consiberable 
difficulty  dragged  the  ponderous  carcass  of  the  old  bull 

invariably  hunt  together  in  large  organized  packs,  varying  in  number 
from  ten  to  sixty,  and  by  their  extraordinary  powers  of  endurance,  and 
mode  of  mutual  assistance,  they  are  enabled  to  run  into  the  swii'test,  or 
overcome  the  largest  and  most  powerful  antelope.  I  have  never  heard 
of  their  attacking  the  buffalo,  and  I  believe  that  the  animal  pursued  iu 
the  present  instance  is  the  largest  to  which  they  give  battle.  Their 
pace  is  a  long,  never-tiring  galloj),  and  in  the  chaso  they  relieve  one 
another,  the  leading  hounds  falling  to  the  rear  when  fatigued,  when 
others,  who  have  been  husbanding  their  strength,  come  up  and  relieve 
them.  Having  succeeded  in  bringing  their  quarry  to  bay,  they  all  sur- 
round him,  and  he  is  immediately  dragged  to  the  ground,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  torn  to  pieces  and  consumed.  They  are  of  a  bold  and  daring  dis- 
position, and  do  not  entertain  much  fear  of  man,  evincing  less  concern 
on  his  approach  than  any  other  carnivorous  animal  with  which  T  am  ac- 
quainted. On  disturbing  a  pack,  they  trot  leisurely  along  before  the 
intruder,  repeatedly  halting  and  looking  back  at  him.  The  females 
bring  forth  their  young  in  large  holes,  in  desolate  open  plains.  These 
burrows  are  connected  with  one  another  under  ground.  When  a  ti-oop 
of  wild  dogs  frequenting  these  holes  observe  a  man  approaching,  they 
do  not,  as  might  be  supposed,  take  shelter  in  the  holes,  but,  rather 
trusting  to  their  speed,  they  rush  forth,  even  though  the  intrader  should 
be  close  upon  them,  and  retreat  across  the  plain,  the  young  ones,  unless 
very  weak,  accompanying  them.  The  devastation  occasioned  by  them 
among  the  flocks  of  the  pastoral  Dutch  Boers  is  inconceivable.  It  con- 
stantly happens,  that  when  the  careless  shepherds  leave  their  charge  in 
quest  of  honey  or  other  amusement,  a  pack  of  these  marauders  comes 
across  the  defenseless  flock.  A  sanguinary  massaci-e  in  such  cases  iti 
variably  ensues,  and  incredible  numbers  of  sheep  are  killed  and  wound- 
ed. The  voracious  pack,  not  content  with  killing  as  many  as  they  can 
eat,  follow  resolutely  on,  tearing  and  mangling  all  that  come  within 
their  reach.  Their  voice  consists  of  three  different  kinds  of  cry,  each 
being  used  on  special  occasions.  One  of  these  cries  is  a  sharp,  angry 
bark,  usually  uttered  when  they  suddenly  behold  an  object  which  they 
can  not  make  out.  Another  resembles  a  number  of  monkeys  chattering 
together,  or  men  conversing  while  their  teeth  are  chattering  violently 
from  cold.  This  ciy  is  emitted  at  night  when  large  numbers  of  them 
ai'c  ti)gether,  and  they  are  excited  by  any  particular  occurrence,  such 
as  being  barked  at  by  domestic  dogs.  The  third  cry,  and  the  one  most 
commonly  uttered  by  them,  is  a  sort  of  i-allying  note  to  bring  the  vari- 
ous members  of  the  pack  together  when  they  have  been  scattered  in 
following  several  individuals  of  a  troop  of  antelopes.  It  is  u  peculiarly 
Boft,  melodious  ciy,  yet,  nevertheless,  it  may  be  distinguished  at  a  great 


152  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

out  of  the  water,  we  found  that  he  had  been  cruelly 
lacerated  by  the  hounds.  It  appeared  to  me  that  they 
had  endeavored  to  hamstring  hhn.  His  hind  legs, 
haunches,  and  belly  were  dreadfully  torn ;  he  had  lost 
half  his  tail,  and  was  otherwise  mutilated.  Poor  old 
bull !  I  could  not  help  commiserating  his  fate.  It  is 
melancholy  to  reflect  that,  in  accordance  with  the  laws 
of  nature,  such  scenes  of  pain  must  ever  be  occurring ; 
one  species,  whether  inhabiting  earth,  air,  or  ocean, 
being  produced  to  become  the  prey  of  another.  At 
night  I  watched  the  water,  with  fairish  moonlight,  and 
shot  a  large  spotted  hysena. 

I  continued  here  hunting  hartebeests  until  the  21st, 
when  I  inspanned  at  an  early  hour,  and  trekked  due 
east  till  sundown,  when  I  halted  near  a  small  fountain 
of  fine  water,  having  performed  a  march  of  about  twen- 
ty-five miles.  Our  road  lay  through  a  wild,  uninhab- 
ited country,  producing  sweet  grass  in  abundance,  but 
destitute  of  water.  On  the  morning  of  the  22d,  hav- 
ing breakfasted,  I  rode  southwest,  with  after-riders, 
and  found  the  game  abundant,  but  wild  and  shy,  hav- 
ing been  recently  hunted  by  Boers. 

distance.  It  very  much  resembles  the  second  note  uttered  by  the 
cuckoo  which  visits  our  islands  during  the  summer  months,  and,  when 
heard  in  a  calm  morning  echoing  tlu'ough  the  distant  woodlands,  it  has 
a  very  pleasing  effect.  They  treat  all  domestic  dogs,  however  large 
and  fierce,  with  the  utmost  scorn,  waiting  to  receive  their  attack,  and 
then,  clannishly  assisting  one  another,  they  generally  rend  them  ia 
pieces.  The  domestic  dogs  most  cordially  reciprocate  their  animosity, 
and  abhor  their  very  voices,  at  what  distance  soever  heard,  even  mora 
than  that  of  the  lion,  starting  to  tlieir  feet,  and  angrily  barking  for  hours. 
This  interesting  though  desti'uctive  animal  seems  to  form  the  connect" 
ing  link  between  the  wolf  and  the  hyaena. 


THE    RIET    RIVER.  153 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Th'j  Riet  River — Nomade  Boer  Encampments — Surly  Reieption  at  a 
Boer's  Farm — Lions  slain  by  tlie  Boers — Cowardice  of  the  Boers  in 
Lion  Hunting — Rumors  of  War  between  the  Boers  and  Griquas— 
The  Mirage  of  the  Plains — Habits  of  the  Blesbok — A  knowing  old 
.  Hog — A  Snake  under  my  Pillow — A  Troop  of  Wild  Dogs  come  upon 
me  at  Night  in  my  Shooting-hole — The  Roar  of  Lions — Curious  Facts 
concerning  them. 

We  inspanned  before  the  dawn  of  day  on  the  23d  of 
February,  and  after  steering  east  and  by  north  for  a 
distance  of  about  twelve  miles,  we  found  ourselves  on 
the  southern  bank  of  the  Riet  River,  where  we  out- 
spanned.  Along  the  banks,  both  above  and  below  me, 
several  families  of  the  nomade  Boers  were  encamped 
with  their  tents  and  wagons.  Their  overgrown  flocks 
and  herds  were  grazing  on  the  plains  and  grassy  hill 
sides  around.  Five  of  these  Boers  presently  came  up 
to  my  wagons,  and  drank  coffee  with  me.  They  seem- 
ed much  amused  with  the  details  of  my  sporting  ad- 
ventures, which  I  was  now  able  to  give  them  in  broken 
Dutch,  in  which  language,  from  lately  hearing  no  other 
spoken,  I  was  daily  becoming  more  proficient.  On 
learning  that  I  had  not  as  yet  enjoyed  any  blesbok 
shooting,  they  said  they  were  certain  I  should  be  de- 
lighted with  the  sport.  The  borders  of  the  country  in- 
habited by  the  blesboks  they  stated  to  be  about  four 
days  distant  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  and  that,  on 
reaching  it,  I  should  fall  in  with  those  antelopes  in 
countless  herds,  along  with  black  wildebeest,  spring- 
bok, and  ether  game.     The  Boers  supplied  me  liberally 

G  2 


154  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

with  milk.  In  the  height  of  the  day  we  all  bathed  in 
the  Riet  River,  and  in  the  afternoon  I  continued  my 
journey  eastward.  The  breadth  of  the  Riet  River  "Sere 
is  about  thirty  yards.  It  rises  about  one  hundred  miles 
to  the  eastward,  and,  flowing  westerly,  joins  the  Vaal 
River  opposite  Campbellsdorp.  ^ 

On  the  third  day  after  making  the  Riet  River  we 
crossed  below  a  very  picturesque  waterfall,  and  resumed 
our  march  along  its  northern  bank.  The  day  was  cool 
and  pleasant,  the  sky  overcast ;  the  hot  days  of  sum- 
mer were  now  past,  and  the  weather  was  most  enjoy- 
able. Continuing  my  march  in  the  afternoon,  I  left 
the  Riet  River  on  my  right,  and  held  on  through  an 
open,  sandy  country  richly  covered  with  abundance  of 
sweet  grass,  and  intersected  by  mountain  ranges  of 
very  considerable  extent.  At  sunset  I  encamped  be- 
side a  Boer's  farm,  who  received  me  hospitably,  and 
asked  me  to  dine  with  him.  During  dinner,  according 
to  the  custom  of  the  Boers,  he  pestered  me  with  a  thou- 
sand questions,  such  as.  What  was  my  nation  ?  Where 
was  I  from  ?  Where  was  I  bound  for  ?  Why  I  trav- 
eled about  alone  in  such  a  manner  ?  Where  was  my 
farm  ?  Were  my  father  and  mother  living  ?  How 
many  brothers  and  sisters  I  had  ?  Was  I  married  ? 
A.nd  had  I  never  been  married  in  the  whole  course  of 
my  life  ?  On  my  replying  in  the  negative  to  this  last 
question,  the  Boer  seemed  petrified  with  astonishment, 
and  the  family  gazed  at  one  another  in  utter  amaze- 
ment. On  the  farm  was  a  fine  specimen  of  the  Afri- 
can wild  boar,  which  was  perfectly  tame,  and  took  veg- 
etables from  the  hands  of  the  children.  On  the  follow- 
ing day  I  performed  two  long  marches,  and  again  halt- 
ed on  the  farm  of  a  Boer,  whose  name  was  Potcheter. 
I  found  this  man  particularly  bitter  against  the  gov- 


A    SURLY    RECEPTION.  155 

ernrnent.  On  my  going  up  to  him  to  inquire  where  I 
should  oatspan,  he  was  very  surly,  and  would  scarcely 
deign  to  speak  to  me.  Of  this,  however,  I  took  no  no- 
tice, but  took  the  liberty  of  informing  him  that  when 
I  had  outspanned  I  should  come  up  to  the  house  and 
make  the  acquaintance  of  Mrs.  Potcheter.  As  I  wheel- 
ed about  and  walked  away  from  him,  I  overheard  him 
remark  to  three  other  grufl-looking  Boers  who  stood 
beside  him  that  I  was  "  a  verdomd  Englishman." 

Notwithstanding  this  cold  reception,  on  returning  to 
the  house  I  soon  managed  to  get  into  their  good  graces, 
and  took  dinner  with  them.  During  dinner  the  con- 
versation turned  on  politics,  when  a  keen  discussion 
arose  concerning  the  present  administration  of  the  gov- 
ernment. This  being  at  all  times  a  disagreeable  sub- 
ject, I  thought  it  time  to  change  the  conversation  to 
sporting  subjects,  in  which  the  Boers  always  take  in- 
tense interest.  I  accordingly  mentioned  to  one  of  the 
young  ladies  who  sat  next  to  me  that  I  had  iii  my 
wagon  a  large  work  containing  engravings  of  all  the 
most  interesting  animals  in  the  world,  on  which  she 
instantly  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  see  it.  I  then 
produced  my  "  Museum  of  Animated  Nature,"  which 
never  failed  to  enchant  the  Boers,  and  it  put  an  end  to 
all  political  discussions,  shooting  and  wild  animals  en- 
grossing the  conversation  during  the  rest  of  the  even- 
ing. These  Boers  informed  me  that  I  should  see  herds 
of  blesboks  on  the  following  day.  They  also  stated 
that  lions  frequented  the  bushy  mountain  ranges  which 
look  down  upon  the  plains  frequented  by  the  blesboks, 
and  they  mentioned  that  a  considerable  party  of  Boers 
had  mustered  that  day  upon  a  farm  a  few  miles  in  ad- 
vance, to  hunt  a  troop  of  lions  which  had  killed  some 
horses  on  the  preceding  day.     From  the  conversation 


156 


ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 


which  I  overheard  among  themselves,  I  learned  that  a 
war  was  brewing  between  the  emigrant  Boers  on  the 
northern  bank  of  the  Orange  River,  and  the  Bastard 
and  Griqua  tribes.  The  rumor  of  this  Vv^ar  threw  my 
followers,  who  also  heard  the  news  from  the  servants 
of  the  Boers,  mto  a  state  of  great  alarm.  I  resolved; 
however,  that  my  movements  should  not  be  influenced 
by  these  reports. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morning  a  young 
Boer  rode  up  to  the  farm,  and  informed  us  that  the 
party  who  had  been  lion-hunting  on  the  preceding  day 
had  bagged  two  fuie  lions,  a  male  and  female.  As  the 
farm  lay  directly  in  my  line  of  march,  I  mounted  Coles- 
berg,  and,  directing  my  followers  to  follovN^  with  the 
wagons,  I  rode  hard  for  the  farm,  to  inspect  the  noble 
game.  On  my  way  thither  I  met  a  horse-wagon,  drawn 
by  eight  horses,  containing  some  of  the  party  who  had 
mustered  for  the  battue.  Arriving  on  the  farm,  I  found 
the  Hon  and  lioness  laid  out  on  the  grass  in  front  of  the 
house,  and  the  Boers'  Hottentots  busy  skinning  them. 
Both  lions  were  riddled  with  balls,  and  their  heads 
were  shot  all  to  pieces.  This  is  generally  the  way  in 
which  the  Boers  serve  their  lions  after  they  have  kill- 
ed them,  fearing  to  approach,  though  dead,  until  they 
have  expended  a  further  supply  of  ammunition.  A  Hot- 
tentot is  then  ordered  to  approach  and  throw  a  stone  at 
him ;  the  Boers  then  ask  if  he  is  dead,  and  on  the  Hot- 
tentot replying,  "  Like  so,  baas,"  he  is  ordered  to  pull 
him  by  the  tail  before  the  hunters  will  venture  to  ap- 
proach My  little  Bushman  informed  me  that  he  had 
often  been  out  lion-hunting  during  his  captivity  with 
the  Boers.  On  one  of  these  occasions,  a  Boer,  who  had 
dismounted  from,  his  horse  to  fire,  was  dashed  to  the 
ground  by  the  lion  before  he  coujd  regain  his  saddle 


LION    HUNTING    BY    BOERS.  157 

The  brute,  however,  did  not  injure  him,  but  merely 
stood  over  him,  lasliing  his  taiJ,  and  growling  at  the 
rest  of  the  party,  who  had  galloped  to  a  distance  in  the 
utmost  consternation,  and,  instead  of  approaching  with- 
in easy  shot  of  the  lion,  to  the  rescue**ef  their  comrade, 
opened  their  fire  upon  him  from  a  great  distance,  the 
consequence  of  which  sportsman-like  proceeding  was, 
that  they  missed  the  lion,  and  shot  their  comrade  dead 
on  the  spot.  The  lion  presently  retreated,  and,  none 
daring  to  follow  him,  he  escaped. 

The  Boer  on  whose  farm  I  had  arrived  was  a  tall, 
powerful,  manly-looking  fellow.  He  informed  me  that 
he  was  a  Dane.  He  was  in  great  distress  about  two 
favorite  dogs  which  the  lions  had  killed  during  the  at- 
tack on  the  preceding  day.  Three  more  were  badly 
wounded,  and  their  recovery  seemed  doubtful.  He  con- 
firmed the  reports  of  an  impending  war  between  the 
Boers  and  Griquas,  which  I  had  previously  heard,  and 
he  asked  me  if  I  was  not  afraid,  in  times  of  war,  to  re- 
main hunting,  with  only  a  few  followers,  in  the  wil- 
derness. Being  anxious  to  commence  my  operations 
against  the  blesboks,  I  resumed  my  march  shortly  after 
mid-day.  On  taking  leave,  the  Dane  presented  me  with 
some  meal  and  a  couple  of  loaves  of  bread,  a  luxury  to 
which  I  had  been  an  utter  stranger  for  many  months, 
and  which,  together  with  vegetables,  I  may  further  add, 
I  hardly  ever  tasted  during  the  five  hunting  expeditions 
which  I  performed  in  Southern  Africa.  Another  short 
march  in  a  northeasterly  direction  brought  me  to  the 
western  borders  of  the  boundless  regions  inhabited  by 
the  blesboks.  I  drew  up  my  wagons  beside  a  vley  of 
rain  water,  in  open  country,  the  plains  before  me  be- 
ing adorned  with  herds  of  black  wildebeest,  springbok, 
and  blesbok. 


158 


ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 


I  had  now  reached  the  borders  of  a  country  dilFering 
entirely  from  any  I  had  hitherto  seen.  The  sweet 
grass,  which  had  heretofore  been  so  abundant,  became 
very  scarce,  being  succeeded  by  short,  crisp,  sour  pas- 
turage, which  my  cattle  and  horses  refused  to  eat.  A 
supply  of  forage  for  these,  however,  could  generally  be 
obtained  by  driving  them  to  the  stony  hillocks  and  rocky 
mountain  ranges  which  at  various  distances  from  one 
another  intersected  the  champaign  country.  The  plains 
were  firm  and  hard,  and  admirably  suited  for  riding ; 
they  were  pastured  short  and  bare  by  the  endless  herds 
of  game  which  from  time  immemorial  had  held  posses- 
sion of  these  extensive  domains.  Although  intersected 
occasionally  by  mountain  ranges,  these  plains  often  ex- 
tend to  amazing  distances,  without  any  landmark  to 
break  the  monotony  of  their  boundless  and  ocean-like 
expanse.  At  other  times  the  eye  is  relieved  by  one  or 
more  abrupt  pyramidal  or  cone-shaped  hills,  which  serve 
as  a  landmark  to  the  hunter,  whereby  to  regain  his 
encampment  after  the  excitement  of  the  chase. 

When  the  sun  is  powerful,  which  it  is  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  year,  an  enduring  mirage  dances 
on  the  plain  wherever  the  hunter  turns  his  bewildered 
eyes.  This  mirage  restricts  the  range  of  vision  to  a 
very  moderate  distance,  and  is  very  prejudicial  to  cor- 
rect rifle-shooting.  The  effect  produced  by  this  optical 
illusion  is  remarkable :  hills  and  herds  of  game  often 
appear  as  if  suspended  in  mid  air.  Dry  and  sun-baked 
vleys,  or  pans  covered  with  a  crystallized  efflorescence, 
constantly  delude  the  thirsty  traveler  with  the  prospect 
of  water ;  and  more  than  once  I  have  ridden  toward  a 
couple  of  springboks,  magnified  a  hundred-fold,  which 
I  had  mistaken  for  the  white  tilts  of  ray  wagons.  This 
vast  tract  of  bare,  sour  pasturage,  which  is  peculiarly 


HABITAT    OF    THE    BLESBOK  159 

the  inheritance  of  the  black  wildebeest,  the  springbok, 
and  the  blesbok,  but  more  particularly  of  the  latter, 
occupies  a  central  position,  as  it  were,  in  Southern 
Africa.  On  the  west  of  my  present  encampment,  as  far 
as  the  shores  of  the  South  Atlantic  Ocean,  no  blesboks  are 
to  be  found.  Neither  do  they  extend  to  the  northward 
of  the  latitude  of  the  River  Molopo,  in  25°  30',  of  which 
I  shall  at  a  future  period  make  mention,  although  their 
herds  frequent  the  plains  along  its  southern  bank.  To 
the  south  a  few  small  herds  are  still  to  be  found  with- 
in the  colony,  but  their  head-quarters  are  to  the  north- 
ward of  the  Orange  River,  whence  they  extend  in  an 
easterly  direction  throughout  all  the  vast  plains  situa- 
ted to  the  west  of  the  Witbergen  range. 

The  blesbok,  in  his  manners  and  habits,  very  much 
resembles  the  springbok,  which,  however,  it  greatly  ex- 
ceeds in  size,  being  as  large  as  an  English  fallow-deer. 
It  is  one  of  the  true  antelopes,  and  all  its  movements 
and  paces  partake  of  the  grace  and  elegance  peculiar 
to  that  species.  Its  color  is  similar  to  that  of  the  sas- 
sayby,  its  skin  being  beautifully  painted  with  every 
shade  of  purple,  violet,  and  brown.  Its  belly  is  of  the 
purest  white,  and  a  broad  white  band,  or  "  blaze," 
adorns  the  entire  length  of  its  face.  Blesboks  differ 
from  springboks  in  the  determined  and  invariable  man- 
ner in  which  they  scour  the  plains,  right  in  the  wind's 
eye,  and  also  in  the  manner  in  which  they  carry  their 
noses  close  along  the  ground.  Throughout  tiie  greater 
part  of  the  year  they  are  very  wary  and  difficult  of  ap- 
proach, but  more  especially  when  the  does  have  young 
ones.  At  that  season,  when  one  herd  is  disturbed,  and 
takes  away  up  the  wind,  every  other  herd  in  view  fol- 
lows them ;  and  the  alarm  extending  for  miles  and  miles 
down  the  wind,  to  endless  herds  br^yond  the  visi'in  of 


160  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUIK    AFRICA. 

the  hunter,  a  continued  stream  of  blesboks  may  often 
be  seen  scouring  up  wind  for  upward  of  an  hour,  and 
covering  the  landscape  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see.  The 
springboks,  which  in  equal  numbers  frequent  the  same 
ground,  do  not,  in  general,  adopt  the  same  decided  course 
as  the  blesboks,  but  take  away  in  every  direction  across 
the  plains,  sometimes  with  flying  bounds,  beautifully 
exhibiting  the  long,  snowy-white  hair  with  which  their 
backs  are  adorned,  and  at  others  walking  slowly  and 
carelessly  out  of  the  hunter's  way,  scarcely  deigning 
to  look  at  him,  with  an  air  of  perfect  independence,  as 
if  aware  of  their  own  matchless  speed. 

The  black  wildebeests,  which  also  thiolcly  cover  the 
entire  length  and  breadth  of  the*blesbok  country,  in 
herds  averaging  from  twenty  to  fifty,  have  no  regular 
course,  like  the  blesboks.  Unless  driven  by  a  large 
field  of  hunters,  they  do  not  leave  their  ground,  although 
disturbed.  Wheeling  about  in  endless  circles,  and  per- 
forming the  most  extraordinary  variety  of  intricate  evo- 
lutions, the  shaggy  herds  of  these  eccentric  and  fierce- 
looking  animals  are  forever  capering  and  gamboling 
round  the  hunter  on  every  side.  While  he  is  riding 
hard  to  obtain  a  family  shot  of  a  herd  in  front  of  him, 
other  herds  are  charging  down  wind  on  his  right  and 
left,  and,  having  described  a  number  of  circular  move- 
ments, they  take  up  positions  upon  the  very  ground 
•across  which  the  hunter  rode  only  a  few  minutes  before. 

Singly,  and  in  small  troops  of  four  or  five  individ- 
uals, the  old  bull  wildebeests  may  be  seen  stationed  at 
intervals  throughout  the  plains,  standing  motionless 
during  a  whole  forenoon,  coolly  watching  with  a  philo- 
sophic eye  the  movements  of  the  other  game,  eternally 
uttering  a  loud  snorting  noise,  and  also  a  short,  sharp 
cry  which  is  peculiar  to  them.     When  the  hunter  ap- 


BLESBOK    HUNTING.  IGl 

proaches  these  old  bulls,  they  commence  whisking  their 
long  white  tails  in  a  most  eccentric  manner  ;  then 
springing  suddenly  into  the  air,  they  begin  prancing 
and  capering,  and  pursue  each  other  in  circles  at  their 
utmost  speed.  Suddenly  they  all  pull  up  together  to 
overhaul  the  intruder,  when  two  of  the  bulls  will  often 
commence  fighting  in  the  most  violent  manner,  drop- 
ping on  their  knees  at  every  shock ;  then  quickly  wheel- 
ing about,  they  kick  up  their  heels,  whirl  their  tails 
with  a  fantastic  flourish,  and  scour  across  the  plain  en- 
veloped in  a  cloud  of  dust. 

Throughout  the  greater  part  of  the  plains  frequented 
by  blesboks,  numbers  of  the  sun-baked  hills  or  mounds 
of  clay  formed  by  the  white  ants  occur.  The  average 
height  of  the  ant-hills,  in  these  districts,  is  from  two  to 
three  feet.  They  are  generally  distant  from  one  an- 
other from  one  to  three  hundred  yards,  being  more  or 
less  thickly  placed  in  different  parts.  These  ant-hills 
are  of  the  greatest  service  to  the  hunter,  enabling  him 
with  facility  to  conceal  himself  on  the  otherwise  open 
plain.  By  means  of  them  I  was  enabled  to  hide,  and 
select  out  of  the  herds  the  bucks  and  bulls  carrying  the 
finest  heads,  for  my  collection. 

On  the  28th,  having  breakfasted,  I  rode  forth  with 
two  after-riders  to  try  for  blesboks,  and  took  up  posi- 
tions on  the  plain,  lying  flat  on  my  breast  behind  ant- 
hills, while  my  after-riders,  one  of  whom  led  my  horse, 
endeavored  to  move  them  toward  me.  We  found  the 
blesboks  abundant,  but  extremely  wary.  I  wounded 
several,  but  did  not  bag  one.  I,  however,  shot  two 
springboks,  which  were  fat,  and  whose  flesh  we  stood 
much  in  need  of.  I  had  several  chances  of  wildebeests, 
but  I  had  resolved  not  to  fire  at  them. 

The  following  day  was  the  1st  of  March.     After  an 


162  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

early  breakfast  I  again  took  the  field,  with  my  after- 
riders  and  a  spare  horse.  There  was  thunder  and  light- 
ning on  all  sides,  and  I  expected  the  day  would  set  in 
wet:  it  all  passed  over,  however,  with  a  few  showers, 
and  the  weather  was  delightfully  cool.  I  lay  behind 
ant-hills,  while  my  men,  extending  to  the  right  and  left, 
endeavored  to  drive  the  game  toward  me.  Late  in  the 
day  I  bagged  a  fine  old  blesbolc :  it  was  a  family  shot, 
running  at  two  hundred  yards.  I  also  shot  a  spring- 
bok, and  mortally  wounded  another ;  both  were  very 
long  shots. 

The  blesbok  is  one  of  the  finest  antelopes  in  the 
world,  and  is  allowed  to  be  the  swiftest  buck  in  Africa. 
He,  nevertheless,  attains  very  high  condition,  and  at 
this  period  v/as  exceedingly  fat.  I  was  surprised  and 
delighted,  with  the  exquisite  manner  in  which  his  beau- 
tiful colors  are  blended  together.  Nothing  can  exceed 
the  beauty  of  this  animal.  Like  most  other  African 
antelopes,  his  skin  emitted  a  most  delicious  and  power- 
ful perfume  of  flowers  and  sweet-smelling  herbs.  A 
secretion  issues  from  between  his  hoofs  which  has  like- 
wise a  pleasing  perfume. 

The  3d  was  a  charmingly  cool  day.  At  an  early 
hour  in  the  morning  I  was  visited  by  a  party  of  Boers, 
some  of  whom  I  had  previously  met.  They  were  pro- 
ceeding to  hunt  wildebeest  and  blesbok,  and  were  mount- 
ed, on  mares,  each  of  which  was  followed  by  a  foal. 
They  requested  me  to  join  them  in  their  "jag,"  but  I 
excused  myself,  preferring  to  hunt  alone.  Having  par- 
taken largely  of  my  coffee,  the  Boers  mounted. their 
mares  and  departed,  holding  a  southeasterly  course. 
As  soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight  I  saddled  up  and  rode 
north,  with  two  after-riders,  to  try  for  blesboks.  I  found 
the  country  extremely  pleasant  to  ride  on.     It  resem- 


A    HERD    OF    WILD    HOGS.  163 

bled  a  well-kept  lawn.  Troops  of  graceful  springbok 
and  blesbok  were  to  be  seen  cantering  right  and  left, 
and  large  herds  of  black  wildebeests  in  every  direction, 
now  charging  and  capering,  and  now  reconnoitering. 
I  took  up  positions  on  the  plain  behind  the  ant-hills.  In 
the  forenoon  I  wounded  one  blesbok,  and  late  in  the  day 
I  made  a  fine  double  shot,  knocking  over  two  old  bles- 
boks  right  and  left,  at  a  hundred  and  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards.  I  also  shot  one  springbok.  While  "gral- 
loching"  a  buck,  one  of  the  Boers  rode  up  to  me  to  say 
that  his  brother  had  wounded  a  wildebeest  which  stood 
at  bay  on  the  plain,  and  his  ammunition  being  expend- 
ed, he  would  feel  obliged  by  ray  coming  to  his  assist- 
ance. I  accordingly  accompanied  the  Boer  to  where 
his  brother  stood  sentry  over  the  wounded  bull,  when  I 
lent  him  my  rifle,  with  which  he  finished  his  bull  with 
a  bullet  in  the  forehead. 

On  the  following  day  I  hunted  to  the  northeast  of 
my  camp,  and  made  a  fine  shot  at  a  blesbok,  knock- 
ing him  over  at  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  Returning 
to  camp  in  a  low-lying  grassy  vley,  I  started  a  herd  of 
"  vlacke  varckc,"  or  wild  hogs.  The  herd  consisted  of 
seven  half-grown  young  ones  and  three  old  ones,  one 
of  which  carried  a  pair  of  enormous  tusks,  projecting 
eight  or  nine  inches  beyond  his  lip.  Being  well  mount- 
ed and  the  ground  favorable,  I  at  once  gave  chase,  and 
was  soon  at  their  heels.  My  horse  was  "  The  Gray." 
I  selected  the  old  boar  for  my  prey,  and  immediately 
separated  him  from  his  comrades.  After  two  miles  of 
sharp  galloping,  we  commenced  ascending  a  consider- 
able acclivity,  when  I  managed  to  close  with  him,  and 
succeeded  in  turning  his  head  toward  my  camp.  He 
now  reduced  his  pace  to  a  trot,  and  regarded  me  with 
a  most  malicious  eye,  his  mouth  a  mass  of  foam.     Ho 


164  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

was  entirely  in  my  power,  as  I  had  only  to  spring  from 
my  horse  and  bowl  him  over.  I  felt  certain  of  him,  but 
resolved  not  to  shoot  as  long  as  his  course  lay  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  wagons.  At  length,  surprised  at  the  res- 
olute manner  in  which  he  held  for  my  camp,  I  headed 
him  ;  when,  to  my  astonishment,  he  did  not  in  the 
slightest  swerve  from  his  course,  but  trotted  along  be- 
hind my  horse  like  a  dog  following  me.  This  at  once 
roused  my  suspicions,  and  I  felt  certain  that  the  cun- 
ning old  fellow  was  making  for  some  retreat,  so  I  re- 
solved to  dismount  and  finish  him.  Just,  however,  as 
I  had  come  to  this  resolution,  I  suddenly  found  myself 
in  a  labyrinth  of  enormous  holes,  the  burrows  of  the 
ant-bear.  In  front  of  one  of  these  the  wild  boar  pulled 
up,  and,  charging  stern  foremost  into  it,  disappeared 
from  my  disappointed  eyes,  and  I  saw  him  no  more.  I 
rode  home  for  my  men ;  and  returning,  we  collected 
grass  and  bushes,  and  endeavored  to  smoke  him  out, 
but  without  success. 

On  the  7th  we  inspanned  at  dawn  of  day,  and  trek- 
ked east  about  ten  miles,  encamping  beside  a  small,  is- 
olated farm-house,  which  had  been  lately  vacated  by 
some  Boer,  owing  to  the  impending  war  with  the  Gri- 
quas.  Here  we  found  plenty  of  old  cow-dung  for  fuel ; 
an  article  which,  throughout  the  whole  of  the  blesbok 
country,  is  very  scarce,  there  often  being  great  diffi 
culty  in  obtaining  sufficient  fuel  to  boil  the  kettle  foi 
coffee.  Beside  the  farm-house  were  two  strong  springs 
of  excellent  water,  in  which  cresses  flourished.  Game 
was  abundant  on  all  sides,  wildebeests  and  springboks 
pasturing  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  door  as 
we  drove  up.  Below  the  fountains  was  a  small  gar- 
den, in  which  I  found  a  welcome  supply  of  onions  and 
other  vegetables. 


AN    UNWELCOME    BED-FELLOAV.  165 

On  the  12th  I  bagged  two  bull  wildebeests  and  two 
springboks  to  the  northward  of  my  camp.  In  the  even- 
ing 1  took  my  pillow  and  "  komberse,"  or  skin  blan- 
ket, to  the  margin  of  a  neighboring  vley,  where  I  had 
observed  doe  blesboks  drink.  Of  these  I  had  not  yet 
secured  a  single  specimen,  which  I  was  very  anxious 
to  do,  as  they  likewise  carry  fine  horns,  which,  though 
not  so  thick  as  those  of  the  males,  are  more  gracefully 
formed.  Shortly  after  I  had  lain  down,  two  porcupines 
came  grunting  up  to  me,  and  stood  within  six  feet  of 
where  I  lay.  About  midnight  an  old  wildebeest  came 
and  stood  within  ten  yards  of  me,  but  I  was  too  lazy 
to  fire  at  him.  All  night  I  heard  some  creature  mov- 
ing in  the  cracked  earth  beneath  my  pillow  ;  but,  be- 
lieving it  to  be  a  mouse,  I  did  not  feel  much  concerned 
about  the  matter.  I  could  not,  however,  divest  myself 
of  a  painful  feeling  that  it  might  be  a  snake,  and  wrap- 
ped my  blanket  tight  round  my  body.  Awaking  at  an 
early  hour  the  following  morning,  I  forgot  to  look  for 
the  tenant  who  had  spent  the  night  beneath  my  pil- 
low. No  blesbok  appearing,  I  stalked  an  old  spring- 
bok through  the  rushes  and  shot  him.  Having  con- 
cealed him,  I  held  for  camp,  and  dispatched  two  men 
to  bring  home  the  venison  and  my  bedding. 

While  taking  my  breakfast  I  observed  my  men  re- 
turning, one  of  them  carrying  a  very  large  and  deadly 
serpent.  I  at  once  felt  certain  it  was  he  that  I  had 
heard  the  previous  night  beneath  my  pillow ;  and  on 
asking  them  where  they  had  killed  it,  they  replied,  "  In 
your  bed."  On  approaching  the  bedding,  they  had  dis- 
covered the  horrid  reptile  sunning  itself  on  the  edge 
of  my  blanket,  until,  on  perceiving  them,  it  glided 
in  beneath  it.  it  was  a  large  specimen  of  the  black 
variety  of  the  puff  adder,  one  of  the  most  poisonous 


166  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

serpents  of  Africa,  death  ensuing  within  an  hoar  after 
its  bite. 

On  the  15th  I  had  a  very  good  day's  sport.  As  the 
day  dawned  I  peeped  from  my  hole,  and  saw  troops  of 
blesboks  feeding  on  every  side  of  me,  but  none  camo 
within  range.  I  shot  one  springbok,  and,  having  con- 
cealed him  in  the  rushes,  walked  to  camp.  After  break- 
fast I  took  the  field  with  Kleinboy  and  the  Bushman, 
and  rode  north  to  try  for  blesboks.  While  lying  be- 
hind an  ant-hill  on  the  bare  plain,  a  herd  of  about  thirty 
wildebeests  came  thundering  down  upon  me,  and  the 
leading  bull  nearly  jumped  over  me.  Into  one  of  these 
I  fired  ;  he  got  the  ball  too  far  back,  however,  and  made 
off,  but  was  found  by  one  of  my  men  the  following  day. 
Presently  Kleinboy  rode  up,  and  stated  that  while  he 
was  driving  the  blesboks  he  had  observed  an  old  stag 
hartebeest  standing  in  the  shade  of  some  tall  green 
bushes  in  the  adjacent  range  of  hills.  I  resolved  to 
stalk  him  in  the  most  approved  Highland  fashion  ;  so, 
having  made  an  accurate  survey  of  the  ground  with  my 
spy-glass,  I  rode  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  him,  and 
then  proceeded  to  creep  in  upon  him  on  my  hands  and 
knees.  In  this  manner  I  got  within  sixty  yards  of  him, 
where  I  lay  flat  on-  my  breast  for  several  minutes  until 
lie  should  give  me  his  broadside.  Presently  he  walked 
forth  from  the  cover  of  the  bush  beneath  which  he  had 
been  standing,  when  I  sent  a  ball  in  at  his  right  shoul- 
der, which  rested  on  the  skin  in  his  left  haunch.  Wheel- 
ing about,  he  bounded  over  an  adjacent  ridge  and  was 
out  of  sight  in  a  moment.  On  gaining  this  ridge,  I 
was  just  in  time  to  see  the  noble  hartebeest  stagger  for 
a  moment,  and  then  subside  into  the  long  grass  in  a 
hollow  below  me.  He  was  a  princely  old  stag,  carry- 
ing splendid  horns  and  a  beautiful  coat  of  new  hair.     J 


GRAiVD    SHOOTIXO.  167 

thought  I  could  never  sufficiently  admire  him.  Having 
removed  the  head  and  skin,  we  made  for  the  camp,  and 
on  my  way  thither  I  was  tempted  to  try  a  long  shot  at 
one  of  the  two  old  blesboks  that  kept  capering  to  lee- 
ward of  us.  Sitting  down  on  the  grass,  and  resting 
both  my  elbows  on  my  knees  (a  manner  of  firing  much 
practiced  by  the  Boers),  I  let  fly  at  a  blesbok,  and 
made  one  of  the  finest  shots  I  had  ever  seen,  sending 
the  ball  through  the  middle  of  his  shoulder  at  upward 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  On  receiving  it,  he 
cantered  forward  a  short  distance  and  fell  dead.  The 
rifle  I  used  in  those  days  was  a  double-barreled  two- 
grooved  one,  by  Dixon  of  Edinburgh,  with  which  I 
managed  to  make  such  superior  shooting  to  that  which 
I  could  perform  with  the  old  style  of  rifle,  that  I  con- 
sidered the  latter  as  a  mere  "pop-gun"  in  comparison 
with  the  other.  In  the  evening  I  took  up  my  position 
m  my  shooting-hole  to  the  northward  of  camp.  About 
an  hour  after  the  moon  rose,  a  troop  of  wildebeests  came 
and  stood  within  thirty  yards  of  me.  I  fired,  and  a  very 
large  bull  with  one  horn  fell  to  the  shot.  If  I  had  al- 
lowed this  bull  to  lie  there,  my  chance  of  further  sport 
was  over  for  that  night  and  the  following  morning.  I 
therefore  took  the  old  fellow  by  his  horn,  and,  exerting 
my  utmost  strength  and  taking  time,  I  managed  to 
drag  him  as  he  fell,  and  still  living,  to  a  hollow  beside 
the  water,  in  which  I  concealed  him.  In  half  an  hour 
another  troop  of  wildebeests  came  and  stood  snufling 
on  the  spot  where  he  had  fallen.  I  fired,  and  a  fine  old 
bull  received  the  ball  in  the  shoulder,  and,  bounding 
forward  one  hundred  yards,  rolled  over  in  the  dust  In 
about  an  hour  a  third  troop  of  wildebeests  came  and 
stood  within  thirty  yards  of  me.  At  one  of  these  I  let 
fly,  and  heard  the  ball  crack  loudly  on  his  shoulder. 


1C8  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA, 

On  the  16th  I  hunted  on  the  plains  to  the  northeast, 
killing  one  springbok,  and  at  night  I  watched  the  dis- 
tant vley  to  the  northward  of  my  camp,  and  got  a 
fright  which  I  shall  remember  to  my  dying  day.  Soon 
after  the  moon  rose,  a  troop  of  wildebeests  came  v/ith- 
in  range  ;  at  one  of  these  I  fired,  and  he  dropped  to  the 
shot,  the  ball  passing  through  the  spine.  A  little  after 
this  I  discharged  my  other  barrel  at  a  large  spotted 
hyaena,  and  then  I  returned  my  rifle  to  its  holster  with- 
out loading  either  barrel,  and  presently  I  was  asleep. 

I  had  not  slept  long  when  my  light  dreams  were  in- 
fluenced by  strange  sounds.  I  dreamed  that  lions  were 
rushing  about  in  quest  of  me,  and,  the  sounds  increas- 
ing, I  awoke  with  a  sudden  start,  uttering  a  loud  shriek. 
I  could  not  for  several  seconds  remember  in  what  part 
of  the  world  I  was,  or  any  thing  connected  with  my 
present  position.  I  heard  the  rushing  of  light  feet  as 
of  a  pack  of  wolves  close  on  every  side  of  me,  accom- 
panied by  the  most  unearthly  sounds.  On  raising  my 
head,  to  my  utter  horror  I  saw  on  every  side  nothing 
but  savage  wild  dogs,  chattering  and  growling.  On 
my  right  and  on  my  left,  and  wdthin  a  few  paces  of  me, 
stood  two  lines  of  these  ferocious-looking  animals,  cock- 
ing their  ears  and  stretching  their  necks  to  have  a  look 
at  me  ;  while  two  large  troops,  in  which  there  were  at 
least  forty  of  them,  kept  dashing  backward  and  forward 
across  my  wdnd  within  a  few  yards  of  me,  chattering 
and  growling  with  the  most  extraordinary  volubility. 
Another  troop  of  wild  dogs  \Yere  fighting  over  the  w^ilde- 
beest  I  had  shot,  which  they  had  begun  to  devour.  On 
beholding  them,  I  expected  no  other  fate  than  to  be  in- 
stantly torn  to  pieces  and  consumed.  I  felt  my  blood 
curdling  along  my  cheeks  and  my  hair  bristling  on  my 
head.     However,  I  had  presence  of  mind  to  considc^r 


WILD  DOGS A  CUNNING  BULL  WILDEBEEST.   169 

that  the  human  voice  and  a  determined  bearing  might 
overawe  them,  and  accordingly,  springing  to  ray  ieet, 
I  stepped  on  to  the  little  ledge  surrounding  the  hole, 
where,  drawing  myself  up  to  my  full  height,  I  waved 
my  large  blanket  with  both  hands,  at  the  same  time 
addressing  my  savage  assembly  in  a  loud  and  solemn 
manner.  This  had  the  desired  eftect:*the  wild  dogs 
removed  to  a  more  respectful  distance,  barking  at  me 
something  like  collies.  Upon  this  I  snatched  up  my 
rifle  and  commenced  loading,  and  before  this  was  ac- 
complished the  entire  pack  had  passed  away  and  did 
not  return. 

These  had  not  been  gone  many  minutes  when  twelve 
or  fifteen  large  hysenas  were  hard  at  work  on  tlte  wilde- 
beest. I  fired  two  shots  at  them  at  different  times 
during  the  night,  but  none  fell  to  my  shots.  Heedless 
of  me,  they  continued  their  banquet,  and  long  before 
morning  nothing  was  left  of  the  wildebeest  save  a  few 
of  the  larger  bones.  On  the  two  following  mornings  I 
was  annoyed  by  a  cunning  old  bull  wildebeest,  which, 
having  discovered  my  retreat,  kept  sentry  over  me, 
and  successively  drove  away  every  troop  of  his  fellows 
that  approached  my  vley  to  drink.  He  kept  feeding 
just  out  of  rifle-range,  and  not  only  warned  his  com- 
rades of  their  danger  by  fixing  his  eye  on  my  place  of 
concealment  and  snorting  loudly,  but  when  this  failed 
he  drove  the  other  wildebeests  from  me  in  the  most  de- 
termined manner,  like  a  collie  dog  driving  sheep.  Be- 
fore leaving  my  hole,  however,  on  the  second  morning, 
[  had  my  revenge.  A  troop  of  cows,  heedless  of  his 
warnings,  approached  the  vley.  In  his  anxiety  for  their 
safety  he  neglected  his  own;  and  coming  for  the  fir^t 
time  within  long  rifle-range,  I  put  up  my  after-sigh*.o 
k\nd  let  drive  at  his  ribs.     The  ball  took  efiect,  and, 

Vol.  1.— H. 


170  ADVENTURES    IW    SOUTH    AFRIGA- 

kicking  up  his  heels  and  flourishing  his  long  white  tail, 
the  old  bull  bounded  forth,  and,  disappearing  over  a 
ridge,  I  saw  him  no  more. 

The  night  of  the  19th  was  to  me  rather  a  memora- 
ble one,  as  being  the  first  on  which  I  had  the  satisfac- 
tion of  hearing  the  deep-toned  thunder  of  the  lion's  roar 
Although  there  was  no  one  near  to  inform  me  by  what 
beast  the  haughty  and  impressive  sounds  which  echo- 
ed through  the  wilderness  were  produced,  I  had  little 
difliculty  in  divining.  There  was  no  mistake  about  it; 
and  on  hearing  it  I  at  once  knew,  as  well  as  if  accus- 
tomed to  the  sound  from  my  infancy,  that  the  appall- 
ing roar  which  was  uttered  within  half  a  mile  of  me 
was  no  other  than  that  of  the  mighty  and  terrible  king 
of  beasts.  Although  the  dignified  and  truly  monarch- 
ical appearance  of  the  lion  has  long  rendered  him  fa- 
mous among  his  fellow  quadrupeds,  and  his  appearance 
and  habits  have  often  been  described  by  abler  pens  than 
mine,  nevertheless  I  consider  that  a  few  remarks,  re- 
sulting from  my  own  personal  experience,  formed  by  a 
tolerably  long  acquaintance  with  him  both  by  day  and 
by  night,  may  not  prove  uninteresting  to  the  reader. 
There  is  something  so  noble  and  imposing  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  lion,  when  seen  walking  with  dignified  self- 
possession,  free  and  undaunted,  on  his  native  soil,  that 
no  description  can  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  his  strik- 
ing appearance.  The  lion  is  exquisitely  formed  by  na- 
ture for  the  predatory  habits  which  he  is  destined  to 
pursue.  Combining  in  comparatively  small  compass 
the  qualities  of  power  and  agility,  he  is  enabled,  by 
means  of  the  tremendous  machinery  with  which  nature 
has  gifted  him,  easily  to  overcome  and  destroy  almost 
every  beast  of  the  forest,  however  superior  to  him  in 
weight  and  stature. 


HABITS    OF    THE    LION,  171 

Though  considerably  under  four  feet  in  height,  he 
has  little  difficulty  in  dashing  to  the  ground  and  over- 
coming the  lofty  and  apparently  powerful  giraffe,  whose 
head  towers  above  the  trees  of  the  forest,  and  whose 
skin  is  nearly  an  inch  in  thickness.  The  lion  is  the 
constant  attendant  of  the  vast  herds  of  buffaloes  which 
frequent  the  interminable  forests  of  the  interior;  and  a 
fall-grown  one,  so  long  as  his  teeth  are  unbroken,  gen- 
erally proves  a  match  for  an  old  bull  buffalo,  which  in 
size  and  strength  greatly  surpasses  the  most  powerful 
breed  of  English  cattle:  the  lion  also  preys  on  all  the 
larger  varieties  of  the  antelopes,  and  on  both  varieties 
of  the  gnoo.  The  zebra,  which  is  met  with  in  large 
herds  throughout  the  interior,  is  also  a  favorite  object 
of  his  pursuit. 

Lions  do  not  refuse,  as  has  been  asserted,  to  feast 
upon  the  venison  that  they  have  not  killed  themselves. 
I  have  repeatedly  discovered  lions  of  all  ages  which  had 
taken  possession  of,  and  were  feasting  upon,  the  car- 
casses of  various  game  quadrupeds  which  had  fallen 
before  my  rifle.  The  lion  is  very  generally  diffused 
throughout  the  secluded  parts  of  Southern  Africa.  He 
is,  however,  nowhere  met  with  in  great  abundance,  it 
being  very  rare  to  find  more  than  three,  or  even  two, 
families  of  lions  frequenting  the  same  district  and  drink- 
ing at  the  same  fountain.  When  a  greater  number 
were  met  with,  I  remarked  that  it  was  owing  to  long- 
protracted  droughts,  which,  by  drying  nearly  all  the 
fountains,  had  compelled  the  game  of  various  districts 
to  crowd  the  remaining  springs,  and  the  lions,  accord- 
ing to  their  custom,  followed  in  the  wake.  It  is  a 
common  thing  to  come  upon  a  full-grown  lion  and  lioi 
ess  associating  with  three  or  four  large  ones  nearly  ful, 
grown ;  at  other  times,  full-grown  males  will  be  found 


172  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH  AFRICA. 

associating  and  hunting  together  in  a  happy  state  of 
friendship :  two,  three,  and  four  full-grown  male  lions 
may  thus  be  discovered  consorting  together. 

The  male  lion  is  adorned  with  a  long,  rank,  shaggy 
mane,  which  in  some  instances  almost  sweeps  the 
ground.  The  color  of  these  manes  varies,  some  being 
very  dark,  and  others  of  a  golden  yellow.  This  ap- 
pearance has  given  rise  to  a  prevailing  opinion  among 
the  Boers  that  there  are  two  distinct  varieties  of  lions, 
which  they  distinguish  by  the  respective  names  of 
"  Schwart  fore  life"  and  "  Chiel  fore  life:"  this  idea, 
however,  is  erroneous.  The  color  of  the  lion's  mane  is 
generally  influenced  by  his  age.  He  attains  his  mane 
'n  the  third  year  of  his  existence.  I  have  remarked 
that  at  first  it  is  of  a  yellowish  color ;  in  the  prime  of 
life  it  is  blackest,  and  when  he  has  numbered  many 
years,  but  still  is  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  his  power,  it 
assumes  a  yellowish-gray,  pepper-and-salt  sort  of  color. 
These  old  fellows  are  cunning  and  dangerous,  and  most 
to  be  dreaded.  The  females  are  utterly  destitute  of  a 
mane,  being  covered  with  a  short,  thick,  glossy  coat  of 
tawny  hair.  The  manes  and  coats, of  lions  frequenting 
open-lying  districts  utterly  destitute  of  trees,  such  as 
the  borders  of  the  great  Kalahari  desert,  are  more  rank 
and  handsome  than  those  inhabiting  forest  districts. 

One  of  the  most  striking  things  connected  with  the 
lion  is  his  voice,  which  is  extremely  grand  and  peculiar- 
ly striking.  It  consists  at  times  of  a  low,  deep  moan- 
ing, repeated  five  or  six  times,  ending  in  faintly  audi- 
ble sighs ;  at  other  times  he  startles  the  forest  with  loud, 
deep-toned,  solemn  roars,  repeated  five  or  six  times  in 
quick  succession,  each  increasing  in  loudness  to  the 
third  or  fourth,  when  his  voice  dies  away  in  five  or  six 
low,  muffled  sounds,  very  much  resembling   distant 


THE.  ROAR    OF    THE    LION.  173 

thunder.  At  times,  and  not  nnfrequently,  a  troop  may 
be  heard  roaring  in  concert,  one  assuming  the  lead,  and 
two,  three,  or  four  more  regularly  taking  up  their  parts, 
like  persons  singing  a  catch.  Like  our  Scottish  stags 
at  the  rutting  season,  they  roar  loudest  in  cold,  frosty 
nights  ;  but  on  no  occasions  are  their  voices  to  be  heard 
in  such  perfection,  or  so  intensely  powerful,  as  when 
two  or  three  strange  troops  of  lions  approach  a  fount- 
ain to  drink  at  the  same  time.  When  this  occurs, 
every  member  of  each  troop  sounds  a  bold  roar  of  defiance 
at  the  opposite  parties ;  and  when  one  roars,  all  roar  to- 
gether, and  each  seems  to  vie  with  his  comrades  in  the  in- 
tensity and  power  of  his  voice.  The  power  and  grandeur 
of  these  nocturnal  forest  concerts  is  inconceivably  strik- 
ing and  pleasing  to  the  hunter's  ear.  The  effect,  I  may 
remark,  is  greatly  enhanced  when  the  hearer  happens 
to  be  situated  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  at  the  dead 
hour  of  midnight,  unaccompanied  by  any  attendant,  and 
ensconced  within  twenty  yards  of  the  fountain  which 
the  surrounding  troops  of  lions  are  approaching.  Such 
has  been  my  situation  many  scores  of  times ;  and  though 
I  am  allowed  to  have  a  tolerably  good  taste  for  music, 
I  consider  the  catches  with  which  I  was  then  regaled 
as  the  sweetest  and  most  natural  I  ever  heard. 

As  a  general  rule,  lions  roar  during  the  night;  their 
sighing  moans  commencing  as  the  shades  of  evening 
envelop  the  forest,  and  continuing  at  intervals  through- 
out the  night.  In  distant  and  secluded  regions,  how- 
ever, I  have  constantly  heard  them  roaring  loudly  as 
late  as  nine  and  ten  o'clock  on  a  bright  sunny  morn- 
ing. In  hazy  and  rainy  weather  they  are  to  be  heard 
at  every  hour  in  the  day,  but  their  roar  is  subdued. 
It  often  happens  that  when  two  strange  male  lions  meet 
at  a  fountain  a  terrific  combat  ensues,  which  not  un- 


174  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

frequently  ends  in  the  death  of  one  of  them.  Ths 
habits  of  the  lion  are  strictly  nocturnal;  during  the 
day  he  lies  concealed  beneath  the  shade  of  some  low 
bushy  tree  or  wide-spreading  bush,  either  in  the  level 
forest  or  on  the  mountain  side.  He  is  also  partial  to 
lofty  reeds,  or  fields  of  long,  rank  yellow  grass,  such  as 
occur  in  low-lying  vleys.  From  these  haunts  he  sallies 
forth  when  the  sun  goes  down,  and  commences  his 
nightly  prowl.  When  he  is  successful  in  his  beat  and 
has  secured  his  prey,  he  does  not  roar  much  that  night, 
only  lattering  occasionally  a  few  low  moans;  that  is, 
provided  no  intruders  approach  him,  otherwise  the  case 
would  be  very  different. 

Lions  are  ever  most  active,  daring,  and  presuming 
in  dark  and  stormy  nights,  and  consequently,  on  such 
occasions,  the  traveler  ought  more  particularly  to  be  on 
his  guard.  I  remarked  a  fact  connected  with  the  lions' 
hour  of  drinking  peculiar  t.o  themselves:  they  seemed 
unwilling  to  visit  the  fountains  with  good  moonlight. 
Thus,  when  the  moon  rose  early,  the  lions  deferred  their 
hour  of  watering  until  late  in  the  morning;  and  when 
the  moon  rose  late,  they  drank  at  a  very  early  hour  in 
the  night.  By  this  acute  system  many  a  grisly  lion  saved 
his  bacon,  and  is  now  luxuriating  in  the  forest  of  South 
Africa,  which  had  otherwise  fallen  by  the  barrels  of  my 
"Westley  Richards."  Owingto  the  tawny  color  of  the 
coat  with  which  nature  has  robed  him,  he  is  perfectly 
invisible  in  the  dark;  and  although  I  have  often  heard 
them  loudly  lapping  the  water  under  my  very  nose,  not 
twenty  yards  from  me,  I  could  not  possibly  make  out 
so  much  as  the  outline  of  their  forms.  When  a  thirsty 
lion  comes  to  water,  he  stretches  out  his  massive  arms, 
lies  down  on  his  breast  to  drink,  and  makes  a  loud  lap- 
ping noise  in  drinking  not  to  be  mistaken.     He  con« 


FEARLESSNESS    OF    THE    LION.  175 

imues  lapping  up  tho  water  for  a  long  while,  and  four 
or  five  times  during  the  proceeding  he  pauses  for  half 
a  minute  as  if  to  take  breath.  One  thing  conspicuous 
about  them  is  their  eyes,  which,  in  a  dark  night,  glow 
like  two  balls  of  fire.  Tho  female  is  more  fierce  and 
active  than  the  male,  as  a  general  rule.  Lionesses 
which  have  never  had  young  are  much  more  danger- 
ous than  those  which  have.  At  no  time  is  the  lion  so 
much  to  be  dreaded  as  when  his  partner  has  got  small 
young  ones.  At  that  season  he  knows  no  fear,  and,  in 
the  coolest  and  most  intrepid  manner,  he  will  face  a 
thousand  men.  A  remarkable  instance  of  this  kind 
came  under  my  own  observation,  which  confirmed  tho 
reports  I  had  before  heard  from  the  natives.  One  day, 
when  out  elephant-hunting  in  the  territory  of  the  "Ba- 
seleka,"  accompanied  by  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  I 
was  astonished  suddenly  to  behold  a  majestic  lion  slow- 
ly and  steadily  advancing  toward  us  with  a  dignified 
step  and  undaunted  bearing,  the  most  noble  and  impos- 
ing that  can  be  conceived.  Lashing  his  tail  from  side 
to  side,  and  growling  haughtily,  his  terribly  expressive 
eye  resolutely  fixed  upon  us,  and  displaying  a  show  of 
ivory  well  calculated  to  inspire  terror  among  the  timid 
"Bechuanas,"  he  approached.  A  headlong  (light  of  the 
two  hundred  and  fifty  men  was  the  immediate  result; 
and,  in  the  confusion  of  the  moment,  four  couples  of  my 
dogs,  which  they  had  been  leading,  were  allowed  to 
c?cape  in  their  couples,  These  instantly  faced  the  lion, 
who,  finding  that  by  his  bold  bearing  he  had  succeeded 
in  putting  his  enemies  to  flight,  now  became  solicitous 
for  the  safety  of  his  little  family,  with  which  tho  lion- 
ess was  retreating  in  the  back-ground.  Facing  about, 
he  followed  afl^r  them  with  a  haughty  and  independent 
step,  growling  fiercely  at  the  dogs  which  trotted  along 


176  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

on  either  side  of  liim.  Three  troops  of  elephants  hav 
ing  been  discovered  a  few  minutes  previous  to  this, 
upon  which  I  was  marching  for  the  attack,  I,  with  the 
most  heartfelt  reluctance,  reserved  my  fire.  On  run- 
ning down  the  hill  side  to  endeavor  to  recall  my  dogs, 
I  observed,  for  the  first  time,  the  retreating  lioness  with 
four  cubs.  About  twenty  minutes  afterward  two  noble 
elephants  repaid  my  forbearance. 

Among  Indian  Ninirods,  a  certain  class  of  royal  ti- 
gers is  dignified  with  the  appellation  of  "  man-eaters." 
These  are  tigers  which,  having  once  tasted  human  flesh, 
show  a  .predilection  for  the  same,  and  such  characters 
are  very  naturally  famed  and  dreaded  among  the  na- 
tives. Elderly  gentlemen  of  similar  tastes  and  habits 
are  occasionally  met  with  among  the  lions  in  the  inte- 
rior of  South  Africa,  and  the  danger  of  such  neighbors 
may  be  easily  imagined.  I  account  for  lions  first  ac- 
quiring this  taste  in  the  following  manner:  the  Bechua- 
na  tribes  of  the  far  interior  do  not  bury  their  dead,  but 
unceremoniously  carry  them  forth,  and  leave  them  ly- 
ing exposed  in  the  forest  or  on  the  plain,  a  prey  to  the 
lion  and  hya3na,  or  the  jackal  and  vulture ;  and  I  can 
readily  imagine  that  a  lion,  having  thus  once  tasted 
human  flesh^vould  have  little  hesitation,  when  oppor- 
tunity presented  itself,  of  springing  upon  and  carrying 
off  the  unwary  traveler  or  "  Bechuana"  inhabiting  his 
country.  Be  this  as  it  may,  man-eaters  occur  ;  and 
on  my  fourth  hunting  expedition,  a  horrible  tragedy 
was  acted  one  dark  night  in  my  little  lonely  camp  by 
one  of  these  formidable  characters,  which  deprived  me, 
in  the  far  wilderness,  of  my  most  valuable  servant.  In 
winding  up  these  few  observations  on  the  lion,  which  I 
trust  will  not  have  been  tiresome  to  the  reader,  I  may 
remark  that  lion-hunting,  under  any  circumstances,  ia 


BOER    ENCAMPMENT.  177 

decidedly  a  dangerous  pursuit.  It  may  nevertheless 
be  followed,  to  a  certain  extent,  with  comparative  safe- 
ty by  those  who  have  naturally  a  turn  for  that  sort  of 
thing.  A  recklessness  of  death,  p3rfect  coolness  and 
self-possession,  an  acquaintance  with  the  disposition 
and  manners  of  lions,  and  a  tolerable  knowledge  of  the 
use  of  the  rifle,  are  indispensable  to  him  who  would 
shine  in  the  overpoweringly  exciting  pastime  of  hunt- 
ing this  justly  celebrated  king  of  beasts. 


CHAPTER- X. 

Boer  Encampment — A  Night  in  a  Storm — A  Fancy  Costume — Fear- 
ful Encounter  with  a  Lioness — "  Colesberg"  dreadfully  mangled — 
Cowardice  of  Hottentots — We  march  back  to  Colesberg — Danger  of 
being  plundered  by  the  Rebel  Boers — Airival  at  Colesberg — The 
Troops  march  against  the  Boers — The  Battle  of  Schwart  Coppice — 
Start  for  the  distant  Land  of  Elephants — The  Hottentots  make  free 
with  my  Brandy,  and  mutiny — Leopards — Kurumau — Mr.  Moffat, 
the  good  Missionary — Roasted  Locusts. 

On  the  22d  of  March  I  rode  south  to  a  distant  farm, 
for  the  double  purpose  of  obtaining  some  corn  or  meal, 
and  of  hearing  the  news  of  the  impending  war  between 
the  Boers  and  Griquas.  On  reaching  the  farm,  I  found 
that  a  large  party  of  Boers  were  here  encamped  to- 
gether :  they  had  mustered  for  mutual  protection. 
Their  tents  and  wagons  were  drawn  up  on  every  side 
of  the  farm-house,  forming  a  very  lively  appearance. 
The  Boers  informed  me  that  all  their  countrymen,  and 
also  the  Griquas,  were  thus  packed  together  in  "  la- 
gers" or  encampments,  and  that  hostilities  were  about 
to  commence.     They  remonstrated  with  no  on  v/hat 

II  2 


178  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

they  were  pleased  to  term  my  madness,  in  living  alone 
in  an  isolated  position  in  such  sharp  times,  and  invited 
me  to  place  myself  for  protection  under  their  banner. 
I  endeavored  to  persuade  them  to  get  up  a  party  to 
hunt  the  lion ;  but  this  they  declined  to  do,  remarking 
that  "a  lion  (like  Johnnie  Gordon's  bagpipes)  was  not 
to  be  played  with."  Returning  to  my  camp,  I  bowled 
over  a  springbok  at  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards.  On 
the  23d,  having  breakfasted,  I  rode  north,  with  after- 
riders,  to  try  for  blesboks.  It  was  a  cool  day,  with  a 
strong  easterly  breeze,  and  we  found  the  game  ex- 
tremely wild.  As  we  proceeded,  vast  herds  kept 
streaming  up  on  the  wind,  darkening  the  plain  before 
us  in  countless  thousands.  About  two  miles  north  of 
the  bushy  mountain  where  I  had  heard  the  lion  roar, 
far  in  the  vast  level  plain,  were  some  bushy  mimosa- 
trees.  Within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  these  we  dis- 
covered an  old  bull  wildebeest,  newly  killed  by  a  lion 
and  half  eaten.  His  large  and  striking  foot-prints  were 
deeply  imbedded  in  the  sand,  and  so  fresh  that  they 
seemed  to  have  been  imprinted  only  a  few  minutes  be- 
fore. Moreover,  there  was  not  a  single  vulture  near 
the  carcass.  We  therefore  felt  convinced  that  the  lion 
must  be  lying  somewhere  near  us,  having  hidden  him- 
self on  our  approach.  ^  We  searched  for  some  time  in 
the  adjacent  hollows,  where  the  grass  was  very  rank, 
but  in  vain.  The  game  now  became  more  and  more 
wild,  taking  away  into  another  district  in  long  strings, 
like  our  island  red-deer  when  hard  driven ;  I  accord- 
ingly gave  it  up,  and  turned  my  horse's  head  for  camp. 
On  my  way  thither  I  bagged  one  blesbok  and  two  bull 
wildebeests :  one  of  these  got  the  bullet  through  his 
heart,  but  nevertheless  stood  at  bay  for  some  time  after 
On  reaching  camp  I  suddenly  resolved  to  take  men  and 


A    MGHT    IN    A    STORM.  179 

horses  with  me,  and  spend  the  night  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  lion,  and  search  early  for  him  on  the  following 
morning.  Accordingly,  while  dinner  was  preparing,  I 
occupied  myself  in  cleaning  and  loading  my  three  dou- 
ble-barreled rifles;  after  which,  having  dined,  I  rode 
with  Kleinboy  and  John  Stofolns  to  my  hole  by  the 
vley,  where  my  bedding  lay  day  and  night.  This  spot 
was  within  a  few  miles  of  where  we  expected  to  fall  in 
with  the  lion  in  the  morning.  We  secured  the  three 
horses  to  one  another,  as  there  was  no  tree  or  bush  with- 
in miles  of  us ;  but  these  I  could  dispense  with,  for  I 
knew  very  well  by  the  looks  of  the  Hottentots  that  they 
would  not  sleep  much,  but  would  keep  a  vigilant  eyo 
over  our  destinies.  I  spent  a  most  miserable  night. 
The  wind,  which  had  been  blowing  so  fresh  in  the  height 
of  the  day,  had  subsided  to  a'  calm  when  the  sun  went 
down,  and  was  now  succeeded  by  an  almost  death-lilce 
stiUness,  which  I  too  well  knew  was  the  harbinger  of 
a  coming  tempest.  .  We  had  not  lain  down  an  hour 
when  the  sky  to  leeward  became  black  as  pitch.  Pres- 
ently the  most  vivid  flashes  of  lightning  followed  one 
another  in  quick  succession,  accompanied  by  terrific 
peals  of  thunder.  The  wind,  which,  during  the  day, 
had  been  out  of  the  northeast,  now,  as  is  usual  on  such 
occasions,  veered  right  round,  and  came  whistling  up 
from  the  southwest,  where  the  tempest  was  brewing  ; 
and  in  a  few  minutes  more  it  was  upon  us  in  all  its 
fury,  the  rain  descending  in  torrents  on  our  devoted 
heads,  while  vivid  flashes  of  lightning  momentarily  il- 
lumined, with  the  brilliancy  of  day,  the  darkness  that 
reigned  around.  In  a  very  few  minutes  the  whole  plain 
was  a  sheet  of  water,  and  every  atom  of  my  cl':>thes  and 
bedding  was  thoroughly  saturated.  My  three  rifles 
had  excellent  holsters,  and  with  the  help  of  two  sheep* 


180  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

skins,  which  I  used  instead  of  saddle-cloths,  I  kept  their 
quite  dry.  In  two  hours  the  tempest  had  passed  away, 
but  light  rain  fell  till  morning,  until  which  time  I  lay 
on  the  wet  ground,  soaked  to  the  skin.  About  mid- 
night we  heard  the  lion  roar  a  mile  or  so  to  the  north- 
ward, and  a  little  before  the  day  dawned  I  again  heard 
him  in  the  direction  of  the  carcass  which  we  had  found 
on  the  preceding  day.  Soon  after  this  I  gave  the  word 
to  march.  We  then  aVose  and  saddled  our  horses.  I 
found  my  trowsers  lying  in  a  pool  of  water,  so  I  con- 
verted a  blanket  into  a  long  kilt  by  strapping  it  round 
my  waist  with  my  shooting-belt.  The  costume  of  my 
followers  was  equally  unique.  We  held  for  the  north 
end  of  the  lion's  mountain  at  a  sharp  pace,  which  we 
gained  before  it  was  clear  enough  to  see  surrounding 
objects.  As  the  light  broke  in  upon  us  we  reduced  our 
pace,  and  rode  slowly  up  the  middle  of  the  vast  level 
plain  toward  the  carcass  of  the  wildebeest,  with  large 
herds  of  wildebeests,  springbok,  blesbok,  and  quaggas 
on  every  ride  of  us,  which  were  this  day  as  tame  as 
they  had  been  wild  on  the  previous  one.  This  is  gen- 
erally the  case  after  a  storm.  The  morn  was  cloudy ; 
misty  vapors  hung  on  the  shoulders  of  the  neighboring 
mountains,  and  the  air  was  loaded  with  balmy  per- 
fume, emitted  by  the  grateful  plants  and  herbs.  As  we 
approached  the  carcass,  I  observed  several  jackals  steal 
away,  and  some  half-drowned-looking  vultures  were 
sitting  round  it.  But  there  was  no  appearance  of  the 
lion.  I  spent  the  next  half  hour  in  riding  across  the 
plain  looking  for  his  spoor  ;  but  I  sought  in  vain.  Be- 
ing cold  and  hungry,  I  turned  my  horse's  head  for  camp, 
and  rode  slowly  along  through  the  middle  of  the  game 
which  would  scarcely  move  out  of  rifle-range  on  either 
side  of  me. 


ENCOUNTER    WITH    A    LIONESS.  181 

Suddenly  I  observed  a  number  of  vultures  seated  on 
the  plain  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead  of  us,  and 
close  beside  them  stood  a  huge  lioness,  consuming  a 
blesbok  which  she  had  killed.  She  was  assisted  in  her 
repast  by  about  a  dozen  jackals,  which  were  feasting 
along  with  her  in  the  most  friendly  and  confidential 
manner.  Directing  my  followers'  attention  to  the  spot, 
I  remarked,  "I  see  the  lion;"  to  which  they  replied, 
"Whar?  whar?  Yah!  Almagtig  I  dat  is  he;"  and 
instantly  reining  in  their  steeds  and  wheeling  about, 
they  pressed  their  heels  to  their  horses'  sides,  and  were 
preparing  to  betake  themselves  to  flight.  I  asked  them 
what  they  were  going  to  do.  To  which  they  answer- 
ed, "  We  have  not  yet  placed  caps  on  our  rifles."  This 
was  true  ;  but  while  this  short  conversation  was  pass- 
ing the  lioness  had  observed  us.  Raising  her  full,  round 
face,  she  overhauled  us  for  a  few  seconds,  and  then  set 
off"  at  a  smart  canter  toward  a  range  of  mountains  some 
miles  to  the  northward  ;  the  wdiole  troop  of  jackals  also 
started  off  in  another  direction ;  there  was,  therefore, 
no  time  to  think  of  caps.  The  first  move  was  to  bring 
her  to  bay,  and  not  a  second  was  to  be  lost.  Spurring 
my  good  and  lively  steed,  and  shouting  to  my  men  to 
follow,  I  flew  across  the  plain,  and,  being  fortunately 
mounted  on  Colesberg,  the  flower  of  my  stud,  I  gained 
upon  her  at  every  stride.  This  was  to  me  a  joyful  mo- 
ment, and  I  at  once  made  up  my  mind  that  she  or  I 
must  die. 

The  lioness  having  had  a  long  start  of  me,  we  went 
over  a  considerable  extent  of  ground  before  I  came  np 
with  her.  She  w^as  a  large,  full-grown  beast,  and  the 
bare  and  level  nature  of  the  j)lain  added  to  her  impos- 
ing appearance.  Finding  that  I  gained  upon  her,  sho 
riHlueed  her  pace  from  a  canter  to  a  trot,  carrying  her 


182  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

tail  stuck  nut  behind  her,  and  slewed  a  little  to  one 
side.  I  shouted  loudly  to  her  to  halt,  as  I  wished  to 
speak  with  her,  upon  which  she  suddenly  pulled  up, 
and  sat  on  her  haunches  like  a  dog,  with  her  back  to- 
ward me,  not  even  deigning  to  look  round.  She  then 
appeared  to  say  to  herself,  "  Does  this  fellow  know  who 
he  is  after  ?"  Plaving  thus  sat  for  half  a  minute,  as 
if  involved  in  thought,  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  and, 
facing  about,  stood  looking  at  me  for  a  few  seconds, 
moving  her  tail  slovdy  from  side  to  side,  showing  her 
teeth,  and  growling  fiercely.  She  next  made  a  short 
run  forward,  making  a  loud,  rumbling  noise  like  thun- 
der. This  she  did  to  intimidate  me  ;  but,  finding  that 
I  did  not  flinch  an  inch  nor  seem  to  heed  her  hostile 
demonstrations,  she  quietly  stretched  out  her  massive 
arms,  and  lay  down  on  the  grass.  My  Hottentots  now 
coming  up,  we  all  three  dismounted,  and,  drawing  our 
rifles  from  their  holsters,  we  looked  to  see  if  the  pow- 
der was  up  in  the  nipples,  and  put  on  our  caps.  While 
this  was  doing  the  lioness  sat  up,  and  showed  evident 
symptoms  of  uneasiness.  She  looked  first  at  us,  and 
then  behind  her,  as  if  to  see  if  the  coast  were  clear , 
after  which  she  made  a  short  run  toward  us,  uttering 
her  deep-drawn,  murderous  growls.  Having  secured 
the  three  horses  to  one  another  by  their  rheims,  we  led 
them  on  as  if  we  intended  to  pass  her,  in  the  hope  of 
obtaining  a  broadside.  But  this  she  carefully  avoided 
to  expose,  presenting  only  her  full  front.  I  had  given 
Stofolus  my  Moore  rifle,  with  orders  to  shoot  her  if  she 
should  spring  upon  me,  but  on  no  account  to  fire  before 
me.  Klcinboy  was  to  stand  ready  to  hand  me  my  Fur- 
dey  rifle,  in  case  the  two-grooved  Dixon  should  not 
prove  sufficient.  My  men  as  yet  had  been  steady,  but 
they  were  in  a   precious  stew,  their  faces  having  as- 


ENCOUNTER    WITH    A    LIONESS.  183 

sumed  a  ghastly  paleness,  and  I  had  a  painfnl  feeling 
that.  I  could  place  no  reliance  on  them. 

Now,  then,jfor  it,  neck  or  nothing  I  She  is  within 
sixty  yards  of  us,  and  she  keeps  advancing.  AVe  turn- 
ed the  horses'  tails  to  her.  I  knelt  on  one  side,  and, 
taking  a  steady  aim  at  her  breast,  let  fly.  The  ball 
cracked  loudly  on  her  tawny  hide,  and  crippled  her  in 
the  shoulder,  upon  which  she  charged  with  an  appalling 
roar,  and  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye  she  was  in  the 
midst  of  us.  At  this  moment  Stofolus's  rifle  exploded 
in  his  hand,  and  Kleinboy,  whom  I  had  ordered  to  stand 
ready  by  me,  danced  about  like  a  duck  in  a  gale  of 
wind.  The  lioness  sprang  upon  Colesberg,  and  fear- 
fully lacerated  his  ribs  and  haunches  with  her  horrid 
teeth  and  claws  ;  the  worst  wound  was  on  his  haunch, 
which  exhibited  a  sickening,  yawning  gash,  more  than 
twelve  inches  long,  almost  laying  bare  the  very  bone. 
I  was  very  cool  and  steady,  and  did  not  feel  in  the  least 
degree  nervous,  having  fortunately  great  confidence  in 
my  own  shooting ;  but  I  must  confess,  when  the  whole 
affair  was  over,  I  felt  that  it  was  a  very  awful  situa- 
tion, and  attended  with  extreme  peril,  as  I  had  no 
friend  with  me  on  whom  I  could  rely. 

When  the  lioness  sprang  on  Colesberg,  I  stood  out 
from  the  horses,  ready  with  my  second  barrel  for  the 
first  chance  she  should  give  me  of  a  clear  shot.  This 
she  quickly  did ;  for,  seemingly  satisfied  with  the  re- 
venge she  had  now  taken,  she  quitted  Colesberg,  and, 
slewing  her  tail  to  one  side,  trotted  sulkily  past  within 
a  few  paces  of  me,  taking  one  step  to  the  left.  I  pitch- 
ed my  rifle  to  my  should«r,  and  in  another  second  the 
lioness  was  stretched  on  the  plain  a  lifeless  corpse.  In 
the  struggles  of  death  she  half  turned  on  her  back,  and 
stretched  her  neck  and  fore  arms  convulsively,  when 


184  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

she  fell  back  to  her  former  position ;  her  mighty  arms 
hung  powerless  by  her  side,  her  lower  jaw  fell,  blood 
streamed  from  her  mouth,  and  she  expired.  At  the 
moment  I  fired  my  second  shot,  Stofolus,  who  hardly 
knew  whether  he  was  alive  or  dead,  allowed  the  three 
horses  to  escape.  These  galloped  frantically  across  the 
plain,  on  which  he  and  Kleinboy  instantly  started  after 
them,  leaving  me  standing  alone  and  unarmed  within 
a  few  paces  of  the  lioness,  which  they,  from  their  anx- 
iety to  be  out  of  the  way,  evidently  considered  quite 
capable  of  doing  further  mischief. 

Such  is  ever  the  case  with  these  worthies,  and  with 
nearly  all  the  natives  of  South  Africa.  No  reliance 
can  be  placed  on  them.  They  will  to  a  certainty  for- 
sake their  master  in  the  most  dastardly  manner  in  the 
hour  of  peril,  and  leave  him  in  the  lurch.  A  stranger, 
however,  hearing  these  fellows  recounting  their  own 
gallant  adventures,  when  sitting  in  the  evening  along 
with  their  comrades  round  a  blazing  fire,  or  under  the 
influence  of  their  adored  "  Cape  smoke"  or  native 
brandy,  might  fancy  them  to  be  the  bravest  of  the 
brave.  Having  skinned  the  lioness  and  cut  off  her 
head,  we  placed  her  trophies  upon  Beauty  and  held  foi 
camp.  Before  we  had  proceeded  a  hundred  yards  from 
the  carcass,  upward  of  sixty  vultures,  whom  the  lion- 
ess had  often  fed,  were  feasting  on  her  remains. 

We  led  poor  Colesberg  slowly  home,  where,  having 
washed  his  wounds  and  carefully  stitched  them  togeth- 
er, I  ordered  the  cold  water  cure  to  be  adopted.  Undei 
this  treatment  his  wounds  rapidly  healed,  and  he  event- 
ually recovered.  The  sky  remained  overcast  through- 
out the  day.  When  the  shades  of  evening  set  in,  ter- 
ror seemed  to  have  taken  possession  of  the  minds  of  my 
followers,  and  thev  swore  that  the  mate  of  the  lioness, 


MARCH    FOR    COLESBERG.  185 

on  finding  her  bones,  would  follow  on  our  spoor  and  re- 
venge her  death.  Under  this  impression,  they  refused 
to  remain  at>out  the  wagons  or  in  the  tent  after  the  sun 
went  down  ;  and  having  cut  down  the  rafters  and  cup- 
boards of  the  Boer's  house  for  fuel,  they  kindled  a  large 
fire  in  the  kitchen,  where  they  took  up  their  quarters 
for  the  night. 

1  continued  hunting  here  until  the  29th,  when  I 
deemed  it  high  time  to  return  to  Colesberg,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  packing  and  storing  my  curiosities,  increasing 
my  establishment,  and  refitting  generally,  preparatory 
to  starting  for  the  distant  land  of  elephants  in  the  far 
forests  of  the  interior.  The  distemper  or  horse  sickness, 
which  rages  in  those  parts  during  the  summer  months, 
might  be  expected  shortly  to  be  past ;  there  was,  there- 
fore, not  much  time  to  lose.  The  morning  was  spent 
in  stowing  the  wagons,  greasing  the  wheels,  securing 
the  pots,  gridirons,  spades,  &c;,  and  overhauling  the 
yokes,  rheims,  straps,  and  other  gear,  preparatory  to  in- 
spanning,  and  in  the  afternoon  we  inspanned,  and,  turn- 
ing our  faces  to  the  south,  marched  upon  Colesberg. 

On  the  march  I  killed  two  springboks ;  and  having 
proceeded  ten  miles,  we  halted  for  the  night.  It  rained 
heavily  till  morning.  My  oxen  were  in  fine  condition, 
and,  having  done  very  little  work  of  late,  they  were 
very  fresh  and  obstreperous.  On  the  following  day  we 
crossed  the  Riet  River.  The  country  was  very  heavy, 
owing  to  the  recent  rains,  and  some  of  my  gear,  which 
was  rotten,  broke  repeatedly,  causing  much  delay.  At 
sundown  we  halted  at  a  lager,  or  encampment  of  Boers. 
Here  about  a  dozen  families  were  congregated  together 
for  mutual  protection.  These  men  were  all  rebels  and 
our  enemies,  being,  at  that  very  moment,  at  war  with 
our  allies,  the  Griquas  and  Bastards,  whom  we  shortly 


1S6  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

afterward  assisted  against  the  Boers.  I  deemed  it  rathe? 
a  rash  step  thus  coolly  to  march  through  the  enemy's 
country,  bearding  as  it  were  the  lion  in  liis  den.  There 
was,  however,  no  help  for  it ;  so  I  resolved  to  take  the 
bull  by  the  horns,  and  put  on  a  bold  face.  The  least 
that  I  might  have  expected  was  to  have  my  wagons 
most  thoroughly  ransacked  and  plundered,  if  not  taken 
from  me  altogether.  This  they  would  certainly  have 
done  if  they  had  thought  that  I  was  an  Englishman; 
but  by  saying  I  was. a  berg  Scot,  or  mountain  Scots- 
man, backed  by  the  garb  of  Old  Gaul,  which  I  always 
wore,  I  convinced  them  that  I  was  a  Scotsman.  Many 
of  the  clergymen  among  the  Boers  being  Scots,  they 
entertain  a  predilection  for  my  countrymen. 

These  Boers  happened  to  be  short  of  coffee,  a  bever- 
age of  which  they  are  extremely  fond.  I  had,  fortu- 
nately, a  large  supply  in  my  wagons,  and  as  I  was  on 
my  way  to  Colesberg,  I  had  no  objection  to  dispose  of 
it.  Accordingly,  by  presenting  the  ladies  of  the  lead- 
ing families  with  a  few  half  pounds  of  coffee,  and  sell- 
ing them  the  remainder  of  my  stock  at  a  moderate 
price,  I  managed  to  secure  the  good  graces  of  the  whole, 
and  they  were  pleased  to  express  their  opinion  that  I 
was  a  "  ghooe  carle,"  or  good  fellow.  On  hearing  that 
a  few  days  previous  I  had  bagged  a  savage  lioness,  and 
on  beholding  her  trophies,  they  seemed  quite  astonish- 
ed, remarking  to  one  another,  "  Mi  scapsels  !  vat  zoor- 
ten  mens  is  de  ?"  signifying,  "  My  stars  and  garters  ! 
what  sort  of  man  is  this  ?"  In  the  course  of  the  even- 
ing and  during  the  night  several  armed  parties  of  Boers 
halted  at  this  lager  to  refresh,  and  then  passed  on  to 
join  the  head-quarters  of  their  army,  which  was  en- 
camped about  forty  miles  to  the  southward,  at  a  place 
called  "  Schwart  Coppice."     Each  of  these  Boers  was 


ARRIVAL    AT    ORANGE    RIVER.  187 

provided  with  one  or  more  pack-horses  bearing  his  com- 
missariat and  ammunition,  and  many  of  them  had  Hot- 
tentot and  Bushman  after-riders.  Their  sole  weapon 
consisted  of  their  roer  or  long  gnn ;  each  wore  a  leathern 
shooting-belt  round  his  waist,  and  a  large  bullock's  horn 
containing  powder  dangled  by  his  side. 

On  the  31st  I  continued  my  march,  and  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  2d  of  April  I  reached  Philipolis,  a  missionary 
station,  and  the  chief  town  of  the  Bastards'  country. 
My  road  had  led  between  the  encampments  of  the  con- 
tending parties.  Troops  of  mounted  Boers  had  been 
scouring  the  country  in  every  direction,  plundering  all 
they  could  lay  their  hands  on,  and  sweeping  off  the  cat- 
tle and  horses  of  the  Bastards.  Halting  at  an  encamp- 
ment of  Bastards  on  the  preceding  day,  I  was  much 
amused  by  their  taking  me  for  a  missionary.  My  cos- 
tume was  not  very  clerical,  consisting  of  a  dirty  .shirt 
and  an  old  Gordon  tartan  kilt.  From  a  Bastard  in  the 
vicinity  of  Philipolis  I  obtained  two  large  rough  dogs 
in  exchange  for  three  pounds  of  coffee  and  a  little  tea. 
The  names  of  these  dogs  were  "  Bles"  and  "  Flam." 
Bles  was  of  an  extremely  fierce  and  savage  disposition. 
On  the  evening  of  the  3d  we  encamped  on  the  northern 
bank  of  the  mighty  Orange  River,  at  a  place  called 
"  Boata's  Drift,"  which  is  nearly  opposite  Colesberg. 
Our  march  had  been  through  a  succession  of  mountains, 
covered  with  excellent  pasture  to  their  summits.  It 
had  rained  heavily  throughout  the  day.  After  inspect- 
ing the  drift  or  ford  on  the  following  morning,  we  cal- 
culated that  the  river  was  too  high  for  the  wagons  to 
cross;  and  by  sending  a  man  over  on  horseback,  ac- 
cording to  the  most  approved  custom,  we  ascertained 
that  a  passage  for  the  wagons  was  impracticable.  I 
accordingly  instructed  my  men  to  proceed  to  Nerval's 


188  .  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

Punt,  situated  a  long  marcli  higher  up  the  river,  there 
to  cross  and  join  me  in  Colesberg  on  the  evening  of  the 
following  day ;  and  having  breakfasted,  I  saddled  "  The 
Immense  Brute,"  and,  taking  the  ford  high  up,  managed 
to  cross  the  river  in  safety,  the  current  having  twice 
taken  my  horse  off  his  legs.  In  two  hours  I  entered 
the  village  of.  Colesberg,  where  I  found  the  officers  of 
the  91st  and  all  my  other  friends  in  great  force." 

My  wagons  did  not  make  their  appearance  in  Coles- 
berg until  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day.  I  took  up 
my  quarters  with  my  old  friend  Mr.  Paterson,  who  also 
kindly  accommodated  the  half  of  my  stud  in  his  stables, 
and  the  other  half  I  picketed  in  the  stables  of  my  old 
regiment,  the  Cape  Mounted  Rifles.  My  oxen  I  per- 
mitted to  run  day  and  night  in  the  neighboring  mount- 
ains. On  the  7th  we  off-loaded  the  wagons,  and  made 
a  grand  parade  of  my  heads  and  hunting  trophies  in 
front  of  Paterson's  house,  which  was  situated  in  the 
center  of  the  village  :  this  attracted  crowds  of  persons 
throughout  the  day.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  8th,  Mr.- 
Rawstorne,  the  resident  magistrate,  received  dispatches 
from  Adam  Kok,  chief  of  the  Bastards,  stating  that  the 
Boers  had  commenced  active  hostilities,  and  craving 
assistance  from  government.  Accordingly,  in  the  even- 
ing, an  order  was  issued  that  all  the  available  force  in 
the  garrison  should  march  upon  the  Orange  River  next 
day.  This  I  considered  an  intense  bore,  as  I  should 
thereby  lose  the  society  of  all  my  friends.  On  the  fol- 
lowing morning  all  was  bustle  and  preparation  through- 
out the  village,  the  military  preparing  for  the  march, 
and  the  merchants  loading  up  their  wagons  with  com- 
missariat for  the  supply  of  the  troops,  while  many  a 
dark-eyed  nymph  wiped  the  hot  tear  from  her'express- 
ive  eye,  and  heaved  a  deep-drawn  sigh  as  she  reflect 


WAR    WITH    THE    BOERS.  189 

ed  on  the  absence  of  her  lover  and  the  casualties  of 
war. 

At  half  past  twelve  the  men  mustered  on  the  parade- 
ground,  and  marched  out  of  the  village  for  Alleman's 
Drift.  Paterson  politely  requested  me  to  occupy  his 
quarters  as  long  as  I  remained  in  Colesberg,  and  not 
to  spare  his  cellar,  which  contained  most  excellent  wine. 
On  the  following  day,  while  actively  employed  in  for- 
warding my  affairs,  a  friend  informed  me  that  all  my 
oxen  were  safely  lodged  in  the  skit-kraal  or  pound,  from 
which  I  released  them,  after  a  deal  of  trouble  and  an- 
noyance, by  a  small  pecuniary  disbursement.  In  the 
evening  the  village  was  agitated  by  a  report  that  a 
skirmish  had  taken  place  between  the  Boers  and  Bas- 
tards, in  which  several  had  fallen  on  both  sides,  and 
that  it  was  the  intention  of  the  Boers  to  pillage  Coles- 
berg. On  the  15th,  in  company  witli  Messrs.  Gibbon 
and  Draper,  two  merchants  of  Colesbeig,  I  rode  out  to 
visit  my  friends  of  the  91st,  who  were  encamped  at 
Alleman's  Drift,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  At 
this  spot  the  Orange  River  and  the  surrounding  scenery 
are  very  beautiful,  reminding  me  of  Highland  scenery. 
At  one  bold  sweep  of  the  river  the  waters  are  hemmed 
in  by  stupendous  granite  rocks,  which  cause  a  deep 
and  sweeping  rapid.  Below  are  long  deep  pools,  in- 
closed by  banks  adorned  with  drooping  willows  and 
everlasting  verdure.  I  found  my  friends  the  military 
employed,  according  to  the  most  approved  system  in 
the  army,  luxuriating  in  brandy  and  cheroots.  The 
privates,  availing  themselves  of  the  proximity  of  the 
river,  were  enjoying  the  recreations  of  angling  and 
dragging  the  river  v/ith  nets.  They  captured  lots  of 
mullet  and  barbel,  averaging  from  one  to  four  pounds 
in  weight. 


190  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

A  party  of  artillery  and  a  detachment  of  the  7th 
Dragoon  Guards  were  reported  en  rovte  from  Fort 
Beaufort,  to  assist  the  91st  in  their  operations  against 
the  Boers.  Skirmishes  were  daily  occurring  between 
the  belligerents  on  the  opposite  side,  and  expresses  from 
Adam  Kok  were  continually  arriving  in  camp,  solicit- 
ing assistance.  The  manner  in  which  these  skirmish- 
es were  conducted  w^as  very  amusing,  and  illustrative 
of  the  high  courage  of  the  contending  parties.  Every 
day,  having  breakfasted,  the  Boers  and  Bastards  w'ere 
in  the  habit  of  meeting  and  peppering  away  at  one  an- 
other till  the  afternoon,  when  each  party  returned  to  its 
respective  encampment.  The  distance  at  which  they 
stood  from  one  another  might  be  somewhere  above  a 
couple  of  miles,  and  they  fired  at  one  another  peeping 
over  ranges  of  coppice  or  low  rocky  hills,  while  large 
herds  of  springboks  and  wildebeests  kept  quietly  pas- 
turing on  the  goreless  field  of  battle  between  them. 

Some  of  these  neutrals,  I  was  informed,  occasionally 
fell  before  the  hissing  balls  of  the  redoubted  warriors. 
Before  dismissing  the  subject  of  the  rebellion  of  '45,  I 
may  state  that  soon  after  this,  the  91st  and  Cape  Corps 
men  being  re-enforced  w'ith  a  party  of  artillery  and  a 
detachment  of  the  7th  Dragoon  Guards,  they  crossed 
the  Orange  River,  and  advanced  upon  the  Boers'  posi- 
tion by  forced  marches,  when  the  Boers  were  charged 
by  the  dragoons  and  put  to  flight,  and  their  wagons 
and  commissariat  fell  into  our  hands.  On  this  occasion 
the  Boers  had  two  pieces  of  ordnance,  of  which  they 
were  supposed  to  have  obtained  possession  some  years 
previously  at  Port  Natal.  Over  one  of  these  presided 
a  Frenchman  of  low  stature;  and  while  little  jMonsieur 
was  actively  employed  in  ramming  down  one  of  their 
home-made  balls,  which  were  constructed  of  lead,  a 


BROTHER    NIMRODS.  191 

Cape  Corps  man  rode  up,  and  sent  a  bullet  through  the 
center  of  his  skull.  Thus  ended  the  memorable  battle 
of  Scliwart  Coppice  ;  and  since  that  time  the  valorous 
Bastards  have  been  loud  in  their  own  praises,  declaring 
that  "  they  are  the  boys  to  put  the  Boers  up  to  the  time 
o'  day." 

On  the  forenoon  of  the  16th  I  rode  through  the  river 
to  visit  a  gentleman  of  the  name  of  Bain,  who  was  then 
living  on  one  of  Mr.  Fossey's  farms.  Mr.  Bain  had 
made  several  trips  into  the  interior,  and  gave  me  much 
valuable  information  and  dazzling  accounts  of  the  sport 
I  might  expect.  He  recommended  my  trekking  down 
the  Orange  E-iver  to  a  drift  near  Rhama,  and  thence 
proceeding  by  Campbellsdorp  to  Kuruman,  a  mission- 
ary station  distant  from  Colesberg  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  where  I  should  obtain  a  Bechuana  in- 
terpreter, and  all  necessary  information  from  the  resi- 
dent missionary.  On  the  following  day,  having  taken 
leave  of  my  kind  friends  and  brother  sportsmen,  I  rode 
into  Colesberg.  Here  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
two  Nimrods,  Messrs.  Murray  and  Oswell,  proceeding, 
like  myself,  on  a  hunting  expedition  into  the  far  inte- 
rior— the  former  a  keen  salmon-fisher  from  the  banks 
of  Tay,  the  latter  a  civilian  in  the  Honorable  East  In- 
dia Company's  service.  During  my  stay  in  Colesberg 
I  was  actively  employed  storing  my  collection  and  re- 
fitting. All  my  specimens  were  carefully  sown  up  in 
canvas,  and  nailed  down  in  cases ;  and  perishable  arti- 
cles, such  as  skins  and  stuffed  heads,  were  hermetical- 
ly sealed,  being  carefully  soldered  up  in  tin  cases  by 
old  Mr.  Privet,  the  tinsmith,  one  of  the  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  community  of  Colesberg. 

I  covered  my  wagons  with  new  sails,  and  had  the 
wheels  and  iron-work  carefully  overhauled  by  the  black- 


192  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH  AFRICA. 

smith.  I  purchased  from  various  parties  several  ex* 
cellent  horses  and  trek-oxen,  and  increased  my  kennel 
of  dogs  to  twelve  stout,  rough,  serviceable-looking  curs. 
From  Mr.  Williams  of  the  commissariat  I  purchased  a 
largo  elephant-gun,  carrying  four  to  the  pound.  I  en- 
gaged two  additional  Hottentots,  named  Johannus  and 
Kleinfeldt,  and  replenished  my  supplies  in  every  depart- 
ment ;  and  on  the  22d,  every  thing  being  ready,  I  re- 
solved, if  possible,  to  get  under  way  that  afternoon. 
With  inconceivable  trouble,  I  managed  to  collect  all 
my  runaway  men,  dogs,  oxen,  and  horses  together  ;  and, 
after  much  bustle  and  angry  altercation  with  my  ine- 
briated and  swarthy  crew,  my  caravan  was  in  motion, 
and  started  on  its  distant  journey.  We  were  followed 
by  the  female  acquaintances  of  our  Hottentots,  scream- 
ing, yelling,  and  cursing  at  their  men,  at  the  sarrie 
time  catching  up  handfuls  of  red  dust,  which  they  toss- 
ed into  the  air  with  true  Hottentot  action.  Having  no 
hair  fortunately  to  rend,  they  contented  themselves  with 
scratching  their  woolly  pates  and  rending  their  petti- 
coats, which  they  soon  reduced  to  tatters.  Among  oth- 
er articles  with  which  I  loaded  up  while  in  Colesbert? 
was  a  number  of  common  muskets,  which  had  been 
represented  to  me  as  being  the  most  available  to  barter 
for  ivory  with  the  tribes  of  the  far  interior.  These  I 
afterward  turned  to  good  account,  and  regretted  that  I 
did  not  possess  ten  times  as  many  of  them.  As  it  was 
not  improbable  that,  in  the  event  of  my  encamping  too 
near  to  Colesberg  that  evening,  my  followers  would 
avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  levant  under  cov- 
er of  night,  and  return  to  the  embraces  of  their  wives 
and  sweethearts,  I  made  up  my  mind,  having  once  suc- 
ceeded in  setting  them  in  motion,  to  give  them  a  good 
spell  of  it ;  and  accordingly,  there  being  good  moon- 


DEPARTURE  FCR  THE  LAND  OF  ELEPHANTS.    193 

light,  I  (lid  not  permit  them  to  outspan  until  after  mid- 
night. I  held  a  westerly  course,  steering  for  the  Salt- 
pan's Drift,  about  four  days'  journey  down  the  Orange 
River,  where  I  intended  crossing.  By  adopting  this 
course  I  avoided  the  hostile  Boers,  who  were  scouring 
the  country  across  the  river  immediately  opposite  to 
Colesbcrg. 

On  the  fourth  day  I  reached  Salt-pan's  Drift,  which 
I  crossed  with  considerable  difficulty,  the  wagons  re- 
peatedly sticking  fast  in  the  deep  sand.  The  opposite 
bank  was  extremely  steep,  and  required  an  hour's  cut- 
ting with  our  pickaxes  and  shovels.  We  passed  the 
farms  of  several  Boers,  from  whom  I  purchased  three 
excellent  dogs,  named  "Wolf,"  "Prince,"  and  "Bonte- 
berg."  On  one  of  these  farms  were  half  a  dozen  os- 
triches, which  the  Boer  endeavored  to  persuade  me  to 
purchase.  Continuing  our  march,  on  the  28th  we 
passed  through  the  Griqua  kraal  named  Rhama.  In 
the  morning,  on  proceeding  to  rouse  my  men,  I  discov- 
ered Kleinboy  very  coolly  smoking  his  pipe  over  my 
loose,  dilapidated  powder-casks;  upon  which  I  seized 
the  culprit,  and  handled  him  rather  roughly.  This  so 
disgusted  my  friend  that  he  dashed  his  pipe  on  the 
ground  with  true  Hottentot  action,  and  swore  he  would 
go  no  farther  with  me.  The  appearance,  however,  of 
a  fine  fat  sheep,  which  I  purchased  a  few  minutes  after 
from  a  Griqua,  induced  INIr.  Kleinboy  to  alter  his  mind 
on  the  subject,  and  he  sulkily  returned  to  his  duty.  On 
the  4th  of  May  Ave  made  the  fair  Vaal  River,  which 
we  crossed  at  my  old  drift.  Here  a  party  of  Korannas 
rode  up  to  the  wagons,  mounted  on  pack-oxen.  The 
bridles  consisted  of  thongs  attached  to  sticks  passed 
through  a  hole  in  the  animals'  noses,  and  the  saddle 
was  a  sheep-skin  secured  with  a  thong  across  the  back. 

Vol.  I.— I 


194  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

In  the  evening  we  trekked  half  way  to  Canipbellsdorp 
On  the  march  my  dogs  killed  two  fine  porcupines  by 
tearing  off  their  heads,  the  only  vulnerable  part,  but 
getting,  at  the  same  time,  their  own  noses  and  shoul- 
ders full  of  the  quills.  On  the  following  day  we  passed 
through  Campbellsdorp,  where  I  was  kindly  welcomed 
by  Mr.  Bartlett,  the  resident  missionary,  from  whom  1 
received  a  liberal  present  of  bread  and  vegetables. 

On  the  third  day  after  leaving  Campbellsdorp  we 
reached  Daniel's  Kuil,  a  kraal  of  Griquas  under  Water- 
boer.  The  country  through  which  we  passed  was  level 
and  uninteresting,  no  hill  nor  landmark  relieving  the 
ocean-like  expanse  and  sameness  of  the  scene  in  any 
direction.  In  parts  the  country  was  covered  as  far  as 
I  could  see  with  a  species  of  bush,  averaging  about  nine 
feet  in  height,  having  a  gray  leaf  and  bunches  of  small 
gray  blossoms,  yielding  a  very  sweet  and  powerful  aro- 
matic perfume.  In  the  evening  we  continued  our  march 
to  Kramer's  Fonteyn,  a  very  powerful  fountain,  whose 
waters  issue  hot  from  the  earth,  as  if  they  were  mixed 
with  boiling  water.  Leaving  Kramer's  Fonteyn  on  the 
9th,  we  held  for  Koning,  a  very  distant  water  on  the 
road  to  Kuruman.  Toward  midnight  my  men  com- 
menced driving  furiously,  and  I  ascertained  that  they 
were  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  which  I  imagined 
they  had  obtained  from  the  Griquas.  On  ordering 
them  to  halt  and  outspan,  Mr.  Kleinboy  only  drove  the 
harder,  so  that  I  found  it  necessary  to  send  him  flying 
off  the  box.  A  short  time  after  I  had  been  asleep  I 
was  wakened  by  a  commotion  among  my  cattle,  and 
found  that  my  men  had  commenced  inspanningthe  ox- 
en, stating  that  they  intended  to  proceed  no  further, 
but  to  return  with  the  wagons  to  the  colony.  Finding 
Tcmonstrance  vain,  I  had  recourse  to  my  double-bar 


HOTTENTOTS    REBELLIOUS.  195 

reled  rifle,  uj3on  which  my  followers  for  the  moment 
relinquished  their  intention  of  inspanning,  and,  retiring 
to  the  shelter  of  a  neighboring  bush,  they  shortly  fell 
asleep.  I  kept  sentry  over  the  wagons  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  night,  with  my  rifle  in  my  hand  and  a 
hatchet  by  my  side.  At  dawn  of  day  on  the  following 
morning  I  roused  my  ruflians,  and  ordered  them  to  in- 
span,  which  orders  they  mechanically  obeyed,. swear- 
ing, however,  that  this  was  the  last  time  they  would 
inspan  my  oxen. 

Having  proceeded  about  ten  miles,  we  arrived  at 
Koning:  this  was  a  vley  of  fine  spring  water,  about 
six  hundred  yards  in  length,  densely  covered  with  lofty 
reeds  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  high.  This  place  is 
said  never  to  be  without  lions.  Here  was  spoor  of 
zebras  and  hartebeests.  In  the  afternoon  I  observed 
that  my  men  were  again  in  liquor.  I  had  at  first  im- 
agined that  the  Griquas  had  supplied  them  with  brandy ; 
but,  upon  examining  my  liquor-case,  I  discovered  that 
one  had  been  broken  into,  and  two  bottles  of  brandy 
stolen.  This  was  a  second  night  of  anxiety  and  trouble. 
I  kept  watch  over  my  goods  and  cattle,  with  my  rifle 
in  my  hand,  till  morning.  The  night  was  piercingly 
cold,  and  in  the  morning  the  ground  was  white  with 
hoar-frost,  and  a  thick  coating  of  ice  covered  the  pools 
of  water.  At  mid-day  on  the  11th  we  left  Koning,  and 
continued  our  march  to  Kuruman,  halting  at  sundown 
without  water.  On  our  left  our  view  was  bounded  by 
the  Kamhanni  Mountains,  an  extensive  rocky  chain. 
In  every  other  direction  a  vast  endless  plain  extended 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  strain.  The  plains  were  cover- 
ed with  rank  yellow  grass,  interspersed  with  clumps  of 
gray-leaved  bushes.  Shortly  before  outspanning  we 
started  three  leopards  that  were  consuming  a  duiker 


196  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

Throughout  all  this  country  game  was  very  scarce. 
Since  crossing  the  Vaal,  with  the  exception  of  feather- 
ed game,  I  had  shot  only  one  springbok  and  one  stein- 
bok. 

On  the  following  day  we  reached  Kuruman,  or  New 
Ijitakoo,  a  lovely  green  spot  in  the  wilderness,  strongly 
contrasting  with  the  sterile  and  inhospitable  regions  by 
which  it  is  surrounded.  I  was  here  kindly  welcomed 
and  hospitably  entertained  by  Mr.  Moffat  and  Mr. 
Hamilton,  both  missionaries  of  the  London  Society, 
and  also  by  Mr.  Hume,  an  old  trader,  long  resident  at 
Kuruman.  The  gardens  at  Kuruman  are  extensive  and 
extremely  fertile.  Besides  corn  and  vegetables,  they 
contained  a  great  variety  of  fruits,  among  which  were 
vines,  peach-trees,  nectarines,  apple,  orange,  and  lemon 
trees,  all  of  which  in  their  seasons  bear  a  profusion  of 
the  most  delicious  fruit.  These  gardens  are  irrigated 
with  the  most  liberal  supply  of  water  from  a  powerful 
fountain  which  gushes  forth,  at  once  forming  a  little 
river,  from  a  subterraneous  cave,  which  has  several  low 
parrow  mouths,  but  within  is  lofty  and  extensive. 
This  cave  is  stated  by  the  natives  to  extend  to  a  very 
great  distance  under  ground.  The  natives  about  Ku- 
ruman and  the  surrounding  districts  generally  embrace 
the  Christian  religion.  Mr.  Moffat  kindly  showed  me 
through  his  printing  establishment,  church,  and  school- 
rooms, which  were  lofty  and  well  built,  and  altogether 
on  a  scale  which  would  not  have  disgraced  one  of  the 
towns  of  the  more  enlightened  colony.  It  was  Mr. 
Moffat  who  reduced  the  Bechuana  language  to  writing 
and  printing,  since  which  he  has  printed  thousands  of 
Sichuana  Testaments,  as  also  tracts  and  hymns,  which 
are  now  eagerly  purchased  by  the  converted  natives. 
Mr.  Moffat  is  a  person  admirably  calculated  to  excel 


MR.  MOFFAT    THE    MISSIONARY.  197 

in  his  important  calling.  Together  with  a  noble  and 
athletic  frame,  he  possesses  a  face  on  which  forbear- 
ance and  Christian  charity  are  very  plainly  written,  and 
his  mental  and  bodily  attainments  are  great.  Minis- 
ter, gardener,  blacksmith,  gunsmith,  mason,  carpenter, 
glazier — every  hour  of  the  day  fmds  this  worthy  pastor 
engaged  in  some  useful  employment  —  setting,  by  his 
own  exemplary  piety  and  industrious  habits,  a  good  ex- 
ample to  others  to  go  and  do  likewise. 

Mr.  Moffat  informed  me  that  a  missionary  named 
Dr.  Livingstone,  who  was  married  to  his  eldest  daugh- 
ter, had  lately  established  a  missionary  station  among 
the  Bakatlas  at  Mabotsa,  in  the  vale  of  Bakatla,  about 
fourteen  days'  journey  to  the  northeast.  Thither  he 
recommended  me  at  once  to  proceed,  as  few  of  the 
larger  varieties  of  game  could  now  be  expected  to  be 
found  to  the  southward  of  Bakatla.  He  represented 
to  me  that  my  falling  in  with  elephants,  even  through- 
out the  vast  forests  in  the  country  immediately  beyond 
Bakatla,  was  very  uncertain,  and  recommended  me,  if 
I  was  determined  to  have  good  elephant-shooting,  to 
endeavor  to  push  on  to  the  remote  and  endless  forests 
beyond  the  mountains  of  Bamangwato,  in  the  territory 
of  Sicomy,  the  great  and  paramount  chief  of  the  extens- 
ive country  of  the  Bamangwato.  There  would  also  be 
a  probability  of  obtaining  ivory  in  barter  from  Sicomy, 
he  being  reported  to  possess  large  quantities  of  that 
valuable  commodity.  By  Mr.  Moffat's  assistance  I  en- 
gaged a  Bechuana  in  the  capacity  of  interpreter  in  the 
Dutch  and  Sichuana  languages.  From  Mr.  Hume  I 
purchased  a  supply  of  wheat;  and  on  the  following  day 
I  set  all  my  people  to  work  on  a  mill  of  Mr.  Moffat's 
to  reduce  this  wheat  to  flour. 

On  the  15th  I  took  leave  of  my  friends  at  Kuruman, 


198  ADVENTURES    IN     SOUTH    AFRICA. 

and  continued  my  journey  in  a  northeasterly  course 
through  a  heavy  sandy  country  of  boundless  level  plains, 
stretching  away  on  every  side,  covered  with  rank  yel- 
low grass,  which,  waving  in  the  breeze,  imparted  the 
idea  of  endless  fields  of  ripe  corn.  At  sundown  we 
crossed  the  Matluarin  River,  an  insignificant  stream, 
and  encamped  on  its  northern  bank.  On  the  march 
we  saw  a  few  blue  wildebeests  and  ostriches.  At  dawn 
of  day  on  the  following  morning  we  pursued  our  jour- 
ney through  the  same  description  of  country,  varied, 
however,  with  detached  clumps  of  thorny  mimosas.  On 
the  march  we  crossed  a  swarm  of  locusts,  resting  for 
the  night  on  the  grass  and  bushes.  They  lay  so  thick 
that  the  wagons  could  have  been  filled  with  them  in  a 
very  short  time,  covering  the  large  bushes  just  as  a 
swarm  of  young  bees  covers  the  branch  on  wdiich  it 
pitches.  Locusts  afford  fattening  and  wholesome  food 
to  man,  birds,  and  all  sorts  of  beasts ;  cows  and  horses, 
lions,  jackals,  hyaenas,  antelopes,  elephants,  &c.,  de- 
vour them.  We  met  a  party  of  Batlapis  carrying  heavy 
burdens  of  them  on  their  backs.  Our  hungry  dogs  made 
a  fine  feast  on  them.  The  cold  frosty  night  had  ren- 
dered them  unable  to  take  wing  until  the  sun  should 
restore  their  powers.  As  it  was  difficult  to  obtain 
sufficient  food  for  my  dogs,  I  and  Isaac  took  a  large 
blanket,  which  we  spread  under  a  hush,  whose  branches 
were  bent  to  the  ground  with  the  mass  of  locusts  which 
covered  it;  and  having  shaken  the  branches,  in  an  in- 
stant I  had  more  locusts  than  I  could  carry  on  my  back : 
these  we  roasted  for  ourselves  and  dogs. 

Soon  after  the  sun  was  up,  on  looking  behind  me,  I 
beheld  the  locusts  stretching  to  the  west  in  vast  clouds, 
resembling  smoke;  but  the  wind,  soon  after  veering 
round,  brought  them  back  to  us,  and  they  flew  over  our 


THE    BECHUANA    TRIBES.  19S 

heads,  for  some  time  actually  darkening  the  sun.  In 
the  evening  I  continued  my  march  by  moonlight,  and 
halted  within  a  few  miles  of  Motito,  an  extensive  kraal 
of  the  Batlapis,  a  tribe  of  Bechuanas.  The  nights  were 
piercing  cold,  the  grass  being  every  morning  covered 
with  white  frost. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Motito — The  Bechuana  Tribes — The  mysterious  gi-eat  inland  Lake — 
Blesbok  and  Wildebeest  abundant — Park-like  Country — We  arrive 
at  the  beautiful  Vale  of  Bakatla — Dr.  Livingstone,  the  Missionary — 
Native  Fashions  at  Church — Determine  to  push  on  to  Bamangwato — 
The  Natives  follow  me  for  Venison — Great  Variety  of  Game — A  dan 
gerous  Fight  with  a  Herd  of  Buffaloes,  two  of  which  are  slain — A 
Colony  of  Baboons — A  Rhinoceros  chases  me  round  a  Bush — Habits 
of  the  Beast — A  noble  Eland  killed — An  impromptu  Steak — Slay  a 
Rhinoceros,  and  lose  my  Way  in  the  Forest. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  17th  I  outspanned  at  Mo- 
tito, where  I  was  kindly  received  by  Monsieur  Loga 
and  Mr.  Edwards,  the  former  a  French  missionary  sta- 
tioned at  Motito,  and  the  latter  an  English  missionary 
from  Mabotza.  Another  French  missionary,  named 
Monsieur  Lemue,  belonging  to  the  station,  was  absent. 
The  women  at  Motito  wear  heavier  ornaments  of  beads 
than  any  with  whom  I  am  acquainted.  As  I  have  now 
reached  the  southern  borders  of  that  vast  tract  of  South- 
ern Africa  inhabited  by  the  numerous  tribes  of  the  Be- 
chuanas, it  will  be  necessary,  before  proceeding  further, 
to  give  a  sketch  of  their  manners  and  customs.  They 
arc  a  lively  and  intelligent  race  of  people,  and  remark- 
able for  their  good  humor  :  they  are  well  formed,  if  not 


200  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

starved  in  infancy.  They  possess  pleasing  features, 
and  very  fine  eyes  and  teeth ;  their  hair  is  short  and 
w^ooUy  ;  the  color  of  their  complexion  is  of  a  light  cop- 
per. The  various  tribes  live  in  kraals,  or  villages,  of 
various  sizes,  along  with  their  respective  chiefs.  Their 
wigwams  are  built  in  a  circular  form,  and  thatched 
with  long  grass  ;  the  floor  and  wall,  inside  and  out,  are 
plastered  with  a  compound  of  clay  and  cow-dung.  The 
entrances  arc  about  three  feet  high  and  two  feet  broad. 
Each  wigwam  is  surrounded  with  a  hedge  of  wicker- 
work,  while  one  grand  hedge  of  wait-a-bit  thorns  sur- 
rounds the  entire  kraal,  protecting  the  inmates  from 
lions  and  other  animals. 

The  dress  of  the  men  consists  of  a  kaross,  or  skin 
cloak,  which  hangs  gracefully  from  their  shoulders ; 
and  another  garment,  termed  tsecha,  which  encircles 
their  loins,  and  is  likewise  made  of  skin.  On  their 
feet  they  wear  a  simple  sandal  formed  of  the  skin  of 
the  buffalo  or  camelopard.  On  their  legs  and  arms 
they  carry  ornaments  of  brass  and  copper  of  different 
patterns,  which  are  manufactured  by  themselves.  The 
men  also  wear  a  few  ornaments  of  beads  round  their 
necks  and  on  their  arms.  Around  tlieir  necks,  besides 
beads,  they  carry  a  variety  of  other  appendages,  the 
majority  of  which  are  believed  to  possess  a  powerful 
charm  to  preserve  them  from  evil.  One  of  these  is  a 
small  hollow  bone,  through  which  they  blow  when  in 
peril ;  another  is  a  set  of  dice,  formed  of  ivory,  which 
they  rattle  in  their  hands  and  cast  on  the  ground  to 
ascertain  if  they  are  to  be  lucky  in  any  enterprise  in 
which  they  may  be  about  to  engage ;  also  a  host  of 
bits  of  root  and  bark  which  are  medicinal.  From  their 
necks  also  depend  gourd  snuff-boxes  made  of  an  ex- 
tremely diminutive  species  of  pumpkin,  trained  to  grow 


DRESS    OF    THE    BECHUANAS.  201 

in  a  bottle-like  shape.     They  never  move  without  their 
arms,  which  consist  of  a  shield,  a  bundle  of  assagais,  a 
battle-ax,  and  a  knobkerry.     The  shields  are  formed 
of  the  hide  of  the  buffalo  or  camelopard  ;  their  shape 
among  some  tribes  is  oval,  among  others  round.     The 
assagai  is  a  sort  of  light  spear  or  javelin,  having  a 
w^ooden  shaft  about  six  feet  in  length  attached  to  it. 
Some  of  these  are  formed  solely  for  throwing,  and  a 
skillful  warrior  will  send  one  through  a  man's  body  at 
one  hundred  yards.     Another  variety  of  assagai  is  form- 
ed solely  for  stabbing.     The  blades  of  these  are  stouter, 
and  the  shafts  shorter  and  thicker,  than  the  other  va- 
riety.    They  are  found  mostly  among  the  tribes  very 
far  in  the  interior.     Their   battle-axes  are  elegantly 
formed,  consisting  of  a  triangular-shaped  blade,  fasten- 
ed in  a  handle  formed  of  the  horn  of  the  rhinoceros. 
The  men  employ  their  time  in  war  and  hunting,  and 
in  dressing  the  skins  of  wild  animals.     The  dress  of 
the  women  consists  of  a  kaross  depending  from  the 
shoulders,  and  a  short  kilt  formed  of  the  skin  of  the 
pallah,  or  some  other  antelope.     Around  their  necks, 
arms,  waists,  and  ankles  they  wear  large  and  cumbrous 
coils  of  beads  of  a  variety  of  colors,  tastefully  arranged 
in  different  patterns.     The  women  chiefly  employ  their 
time  in  cultivating  their  fields  and  gardens,  in  which 
they  rear  corn,  pumpkins,  and  water-melons,  and  like- 
wise in  harvesting  their  crops  and  grinding  their  corn. 
Both   men    and   women   go   bareheaded :  they   anoint 
their  heads  with  "  sibelo,"  a  shining  composition,  being 
a  mixture  of  fat  and  a  gray  sparkling  ore,  having  the 
appearance  of  mica.     Some  of  the  tribes  besmear  their 
bodies  with  a  mixture  of  fat  and  red  clay,  imparting 
to  them  the  appearance  of  Red  Indians.     Most  of  the 
tribes  possess  cattle  ;  these  are  attended  to  and  milked 

12 


202  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

solely  by  the  men,  a  woman  being  never  allowed  to  set 
foot  within  the  cattle-kraal.  Polygamy  is  allowed-,  and 
any  man  may  keep  as  many  wives  as  he  pleases :  the 
wife,  however,  has  in  the  first  instance  to  be  purchased. 
Among  tribes  possessed  of  cattle,  the  price  of  a  wife  is 
ten  head  of  cattle  ;  but  among  the  poorer  tribes  a  wifo 
may  be  obtained  for  a  few  spades  with  which  they  cul- 
tivate their  fields.  These  spades,  which  are  manufac- 
tured by  themselves,  are  fastened  in  the  end  of  a  long 
shaft,  and  are  used  as  our  laborers  use  the  hoe.  Rows 
of  women  may  be  seen  digging  together  in  the  fields 
singing  songs,  to  which  they  keep  time  with  their  spades. 
The  name  of  the  chief  at  Motito  was  Motchuara,  a 
subordinate  of  the  great  chief  Mahura.  He  was  very 
anxious  that  I  should  remain  a  day  with  him,  for  the 
purpose  of  trading  in  ostrich  feathers  and  karosses ; 
but,  being  anxious  to  push  forward,  I  resumed  my 
march  in  the  afternoon,  and  trekked  on  till  near  mid- 
night, when  I  encamped  in  an  extensive  forest  of  gray 
and  ancient-looking  cameel-dorn  trees.  These  were 
the  finest  I  had  yet  seen  in  Africa,  each  tree  assuming 
a  wide-spreading  and  picturesque  appearance.  They 
were  detached  and  in  groups,  like  oaks  in  an  English 
deer-park.  Many  of  them  were  inhabited  by  whole 
colonies  of  the  social  grosbeak,  a  bird  with  whose  won- 
derful habitations  the  branches  were  loaded.  These 
remarkable  birds,  which  are  about  the  size  and  appear- 
ance of  the  British  green-finch,  construct  their  nests  and 
live  socially  together  under  one  common  roof,  the  whole 
fabric  being  formed  of  dry  grass,  and  exhibiting  at  a 
short  distance  the  appearance  of  a  haycock  stuck  up  in 
the  tree.  The  entrances  to  the  nests  are  from  beneath. 
They  are  built  side  by  side,  and  when  seen  from  below 
resemble  a  honey-rrimt 


MYSTERIOUS    INLAND    LAKE.  203 

At  dawn  of  day  on  the  following  morning  we  con- 
tinued our  march  through  the  venerable  cameel-dorn 
forest.  The  road  was  extremely  heavy,  consisting  of 
*^ft,  loose  sand.  Having  proceeded  about  six  miles, 
f;merging  from  the  forest,  we  entered  once  more  on  a 
<?vide-spreading  open  country,  covered  in  some  parts 
ivith  bushes,  and  in  others  only  with  grass.  Another 
hour  brought  us  to  Little  Chooi,  a  large  salt-pan, 
where  we  obtained  water  for  ourselves  and  cattle  from 
a  deep  pit  made  by  men.  In  sight  were  a  few  zebras, 
ostriches,  and  springboks.  In  the  forenoon  a  number 
of  cattle,  belonging  to  Mahura,  came  to  drink  at  the 
pit.  Some  of  these  carried  enormous  wide-spreading 
horns.  Mahura  and  his  tribe  possess  immense  herds 
of  cattle,  the  majority  of  which  they  '•  lifted"  or  obtain- 
ed in  war  from  other  Bechuana  tribes.  Some  years 
before  this,  Mahura,  assisted  by  another  tribe,  had  at- 
tacked Sobiqua,  king  of  the  Bawangketse,  a  tribe  in- 
habiting the  borders  of  the  great  Kalahari  desert,  whom 
they  routed,  and  succeeded  in  driving  off  the  majority 
of  their  vast  herds.  Upon  this,  Sobiqua  and  his  tribe 
fled  with  the  remainder  of  the  cattle  across  a  portion 
of  the  desert  to  the  westward,  and  for  some  years  lo- 
cated themselves  on  the  borders  of  a  vast  inland  lake. 
This  mysterious  lake  the  natives  in  the  vale  of  Bakatla 
state  to  be  situated  due  west  from  their  position,  while 
the  natives  of  Bamangwato,  situated  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  to  the  northward,  always  pointed  out  to  me 
the  northwest  as  its  position.  They  represented  to  me 
that  the  natives  on  its  banks  were  possessed  of  canoes  ; 
that  its  waters  w*ere  salt ;  and  that  every  day  the  wa- 
ters retired  to  feed,  and  again  returned,  by  which  I  un- 
derstood that  this  lake,  whatever  it  may  be,  is  afTccted 
by  some  tide. 


204  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

At  3  P.M.  we  inspanned,  and  held  on  till  midnight 
with  fine  moonlight,  crossing  a  desert  and  sandy  coun- 
try. In  the  vicinity  of  Chooi  we  passed  an  extensive 
range  of  old  pitfalls,  formed  by  the  natives  for  entrap- 
ping game.  They  were  dug  in  the  form  of  a  crescent, 
and  occupied  an  extent  of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile. 
On  the  march  I  observed  some  enormous  trunks  of 
trees  that  had  been  destroyed  by  fire  in  by-gone  years. 
On  the  following  day  we  reached  Loharon,  an  uninter- 
esting and  desolate  spot,  where  we  encamped  for  the 
day  beside  a  pool  of  rain  water.  Here  I  observed  a 
few  hartebeests,  sassaybies,  and  zebras.  On  the  20th, 
having  breakfasted,  we  inspanned,  and  continued  our 
march  till  sunset.  We  passed  through  a  very  level 
country,  covered  with  detached  bushes.  The  dullness 
of  the  scene,  however,  was  enlivened  by  a  wondrous 
flight  of  locusts,  the  largest  I  had  ever  beheld.  The 
prospect  was  obscured  by  them  as  far  as  we  could  see, 
resembling  the  smoke  arising  from  a  thousand  giant 
bonfires ;  while  those  above  our  heads  darkened  our 
path  with  a  double  flight — the  one  next  the  ground 
flying  north,  while  the  upper  clouds  of  them  held  a 
southerly  course.  The  dogs,  as  usual,  made  a  hearty 
meal  on  them. 

We  continued  our  march  by  moonlight,  halting  at 
midnight  in  a  vast  open  plain  beside  a  small  pool  of 
rain  water.  After  breakfast  I  rode  forth  in  quest  of 
springboks,  of  which  I  bagged  a  couple.  I  fell  in  with 
blue  and  black  wildebeests,  zebras,  ostriches,  and  bles- 
boks.  The  plains  here  were  bare  and  open,  resembling 
the  country  frequented  by  the  blesboke  to  the  southward 
of  the  Vaal,  with  which  country  I  subsequently  ascer- 
tained it  to  be  connected,  in  a  due  southerly  course,  by 
an  endless  succession  of  similar  bar'  plains,  throughout 


ACCIDENT REMAINS    OF    A    RHINOCEROS.  205 

the  entire  extent  of  which  the  blesbok  and  black  wilde- 
beest are  abundant.  While  galloping  after  a  herd  of 
zebras,  "  The  Immense  Brute"  put  his  foot  into  a  hole, 
and  came  down  with  great  violence  on  his  head,  pitch- 
ing me  over  his  bows.  I  saved  my  rifle  at  the  risk  of 
sacrificing  my  collar-bone,  and  would  have  escaped 
without  further  injury  than  the  loss  of  a  portion  of  the 
bark  of  my  cheek,  had  not  my  horse  described  a  somer- 
sault, coming  down  with  the  broad  of  his  back  on  the 
calf  of  my  right  leg,  and  bruising  it  so  severely  as  to 
incapacitate  me  from  walking  for  several  days.  About 
mid-day  we  resumed  our  march,  and  in  the  evening  we 
reached  Great  Chooi,  a  very  large  salt-pan  at  present 
full  of  water.  Here  I  found,  for  the  first  time,  the 
bones  and  skull  of  a  rhinoceros  long  killed.  My  inter- 
preter informed  me  that  the  rhinoceros  had  long  left 
that  country  ;  to  his  surprise,  however,  we  discovered 
fresh  spoor  by  the  fountain.  Continuing  our  march, 
on  the  22d  we  entered  on  a  new  description  of  country ; 
boundless  open  plains  being  succeeded  by  endless  forests 
of  dwarfish  trees  and  bushes,  the  ground  shghtly  undu- 
lating, and  covered  with  a  variety  of  rich  grasses  and 
aromatic  herbs.  The  old  and  seldom-trodden  wagon- 
track  which  we  followed  seemed  a  favorite  foot-path  for 
a  troop  of  lions,  their  large  and  heavy  spoor  being  deeply 
imprinted  in  our  path.  At  sundown  we  encamped  on 
the  Siklagole  River,  a  periodical  stream,  in  the  gravelly 
bed  of  which  fine  spring  water  could  be  obtained  by 
digging.  As  we  were  in  great  want  of  flesh,  my  hun- 
gry pack  being  nearly  starving,  I  resolved  to  rest  my 
oxen  on  the  following  day,  and  hunt  for  eland,  the  spoor 
of  several  of  which  wo  discovered  beside  our  encamp- 
ment. 

On  the  morning  of  the  23d  I  rode  east  with  after- 


S06  ADVENTURES    IN   SOUTH    AFRICA. 

riders  and  a  pack-horse.  The  country  through  which 
we  passed  resembled  a  vast  interminable  park,  being 
adorned  with  a  continued  succession  of  picturesque 
dwarfish  forest-trees  single  and  in  groups.  Such,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  grassy  open  plains,  is  the  char- 
acter of  the  country  from  Siklagole,  as  far  as  the  mount- 
ains of  Bakatla,  which  we  reached  on  the  31st.  Hav- 
ing crossed  these,  we  proceeded  up  a  valley  about  three 
miles,  when  we  reached  a  gorge  in  the  mountains 
which  connected  this  fine  valley  with  the  great  strath 
or  vale  of  Bakatla.  Through  this  gorge  ran  a  stream 
of  the  purest  crystal  water.  Our  road  lay  along  the 
margin  of  this  stream,  across  large  masses  of  stone  and 
ledges  of  rock,  which  threatened  every  moment  the  de- 
struction of  our  wagons. 

Following  the  stream  for  half  a  mile,  we  arrived  at 
Mabotza,  the  kraal  of  Mosielely,  king  of  the  Bakatlas, 
a  tribe  of  Bechuanas.  Here  I  was  kindly  received  by 
Dr.  Livingstone,  the  resident  missionary.  The  vale  of 
Bakatla,  which  I  had  now  reached,  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  spots  in  Africa.  It  is  a  broad  and  level  strath, 
extending  from  east  to  west,  and  bounded  by  picturesquo 
rocky  mountains,  beautifully  wooded  to  their  summits. 
In  parts  the  strath  is  adorned  with  groves  and  patches 
of  beautiful  forest-trees  of  endless  variety ;  in  others  it 
is  open,  carpeted  with  a  goodly  coating  of  luxuriant 
grass.  A  large  portion  of  the  valley,  opposite  to  the 
town,  is  cultivated  by  the  Bakatla  women,  and  a  suc- 
cession of  extensive  corn-fields  stretched  away  to  the 
northward  of  the  kraal.  These  had  lately  been  denuded 
of  their  crops,  but  a  goodly  show  of  pumpkins  and 
water-melons  still  remained  in  the  fields.  The  follow- 
ing day  was  Sunday,  and  I  attended  Divine  service  in 
a  temporary  place  of  worship  that  had  been  erected  by 


INTERVIEW   "WITH    MOSIELELY.  207 

the  missionaries.  It  \Yas  amusing  to  remarA,  in  the 
costume  of  the  Bakatlas  on  this  occasion,  the  progress 
of  the  march  of  civilization.  All  those  who  had  man- 
aged to  get  hold  of  some  European  article  of  dress  had 
donned  it,  some  appearing  in  trowsers  without  shirts, 
and  others  in  shirts  without  trowsers. 

The  2d  of  June  was  the  coldest  day  I  had  experienced 
in  Africa,  a  cutting  cold  wind  blowing  oft'  the  Southern 
Ocean.  On  the  morning  of  the  2d  I  was  waited  upon 
Dy  Mosielely,  attended  by  a  number  of  his  nobility  and 
others  of  the  tribe,  who  flocked  around  my  wagons  im- 
portunately requesting  snufF.  The  appearance  of  the 
chief  was  mild,  but  not  dignified.  One  of  his  generals, 
with  whom  he  seemed  to  be  on  very  intimate  terms, 
was  a  jolly-looking  old  warrior  with  a  wall  eye,  and  a 
face  strongly  marked  with  the  small-pox.  This  man's 
name  was  "  Siemi."  He  had  killed  about  twenty  men 
in  battle  with  his  own  hand,  and  bore  a  mark  of  honor 
for  every  man.  This  mark  was  a  line  tattooed  on  his 
ribs.  Mosielely  presented  me  with  a  bag  of  sour  milk, 
and  requested  that  I  would  tarry  with  him  for  a  few 
days  for  the  purpose  of  trading.  I  informed  him  that 
I  was  now  anxious  to  push  on  to  the  country  of  the  ele- 
phants, but  would  trade  with  him  on  my  return.  This 
intimation  seemed  very  much  to  disappoint  the  king, 
who  was  anxious  to  exchange  karosses  for  guns  and 
ammunition.  But  I  had  resolved  to  part  with  my  mus- 
kets solely  for  ivory,  which  article  Mosielely  on  this 
particular  occasion  did  not  possess.* 

*  The  Bakatlas  wosk  a  gi-eat  deal  in  iron,  manufacturing  various  ar- 
ticles, with  which  they  supply  the  neighboring  tribes.  They  obtain 
their  iron  from  ore,  which  they  procure  by  excavating  in  the  surround- 
ing mountains.  This  ore  is  smelted  in  crucibles,  a  great  deal  of  the 
metal  being  wasted,  and  only  the  best  and  purest  being  preserved. 
They  use  a  sort  of  double  bellows,  consisting  of  two  hags  of  skin,  by 


208  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

Dr.  Livingstone  informed  me  that  large  game  was 
abundant  on  all  sides  to  the  northward  of  Bakatla.  He 
stated  that  herds  of  elephants  occasionally  visited  the 
territories  of  the  adjoining  chiefs,  sometimes  frequent- 
ing a  district  for  half  a  summer,  but  that  at  present  he 
was  not  aware  of  any  elephants  in  the  forests  adjacent 
to  Bakatla,  He  represented  the  distant  and  unexplored 
forests  beyond  Bamangwato,  the  territory  of  Sicomy, 
as  being  allowed  by  the  natives  to  be  the  country  where 
elephants  were  at  all  times  abundant.  There  was  also 
a  prospect  of  obtaining  there  ivory  in  barter  for  my 
muskets.  I  accordingly  resolved,  in  the  first  instance, 
to  direct  my  attention  mainly  to  elephants,  and  not  to 
tarry  in  any  district,  however  favorable,  for  the  purpose 
of  hunting  other  varieties  of  game.  Dr.  Livingstone 
stated  that  I  should  experience  considerable  difficulty 
in  reaching  Bamangwato,  since  there  was  no  path  nor 
track  of  any  description  to  guide  me  thither.  My  only 
chance  of  getting  there  seemed  to  depend  on  being  able 
to  obtain  Bechuana  guides  from  Caachy,  a  subordinate 
chief  of  a  branch  of  the  "Baquaina"  tribe,  then  resident 
at  a  place  called  "  Booby,"  situated  about  eighty  miles 
to  the  northwest  of  Bakatla.  Without  these  guides  it 
would  be  almost  impossible  to  proceed,  as  the  waters 
were  few  and  very  far  between.  The  probability,  how- 
ever, was,  that  these  guides  would  be  refused,  since  it 


which  the  air  is  forced  through  the  long,  tapering  tubes  of  the  two 
horns  of  the  oryx.  The  person  using  the  bellows  squats  between  the 
two  bags,  which  he  raises  and  depresses  alternately,  working  one  with 
each  hand.  Their  hammer  and  anvil  consist  of  two  stones.  They  nev- 
ertheless contrive  to  turn  very  neat  workmanship  out  of  their  hands, 
such  as  spears,  battle-axes,  assagais,  knives,  sewing-needles,  &.c.  The 
men  of  this  tribe  also  manufacture  large  wooden  bowls,  which  they  cut 
out  of  the  solid  piece,  the  tool  they  use  for  this  purpose  being  a  small 
implement  shaped  like  an  adze. 


START    FOR    BAMANGWATO.  209 

is  the  invariable  policy  of  A.frican  chiefs  to  prevent  all 
travelers  from  penetrating  beyond  themselves. 

Baraangwato  is  distant  upward  of  two  hundred  miles 
to  the  northward  of  Bakatla,  from  which  it  is  separated 
by  rugged  and  apparently  impassable  mountain  ranges, 
extensive  sandy  deserts,  which  are  destitute  of  water, 
and  vast  and  trackless  forests.  Isaac,  my  interpreter, 
already  began  to  lose  heart,  and  raised  a  thousand  ob- 
jections to  my  proceeding  to  so  distant  a  country.  He 
recommended  my  rather  hunting  in  the  territory  of 
"  Sichely,"  the  paramount  chief  of  the  Baquaines,  sit- 
uated about  fifty  miles  to  the  north  of  Bakatla,  where 
he  assured  me  we  should  find  elephants.  Perceiving 
that  his  remonstrances  did  not  avail,  and  that  I  was  in- 
exorable, he  proposed  resigning  his  commission,  and 
was  with  difficulty  prevailed  on  by  Dr.  Livingstone  to 
agree  to  accompany  me  further. 

On  the  3d  I  took  leave  of  my  kind  friend  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone, and  started  for  Bamangwato.  I  was  accom- 
panied by  a  large  party  of  the  Bakatla  men  and  two 
Baquaines.  They  followed  me  in  the  hope  of  obtain- 
ing flesh,  a  report  having  spread  through  the  tribe  that 
I  was  a  successful  hunter.  The  Bechuanas  are  ex- 
tremely fond  of  flesh,  which  they  consider  the  only  food 
befitting  men.  Corn  and  milk  they  reckon  the  food  of 
women.  Having  no  flesh  at  home,  a-nd  being  seldom 
able  to  kill  large  game  for  themselves,  they  entertain 
great  respect  for  those  who  kill  plenty  of  venison  for 
them,  and  they  will  travel  to  very  great  distances  for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  it.  We  proceeded  in  a  west- 
erly course,  and  held  up  the  lovely  valley  of  Bakatla, 
through  open  glades  and  patches  of  ancient  forests. 

I  had  ridden  only  a  short  distance  across  the  valley 
when  I  fell  in  v/ith  a  troop  of  blue  wildebeests,  one  of 


210  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

which  I  wounded  and  immediately  lost  in  rocky  ground. 
I  then  rode  on,  and  crossed  a  ridge  of  stony  hills  cov- 
ered with  thick  jungle,  after  which  I  entered  upon  an- 
other grassy  and  well- wooded  valley.  Presently  I  ob- 
served seven  majestic  buck  koodoos  standing  on  the 
mountain  side  high  above  me.  In  trying  to  stalk  these 
I  disturbed  a  troop  of  graceful  pallahs  and  a  herd  of 
zebras,  which  clattered  along  the  mountain,  and  spoiled 
my  stalk  with  the  koodoos.  I  now  observed  a  large 
herd  of  buffaloes  reclining  under  a  clump  of  mimosa- 
trees  a  little  further  up  the  valley.  Descending  from 
my  position,  I  secured  my  horse  to  a  tree,  and  proceed- 
ed to  stalk  in  on  the  buffaloes.  While  I  was  doing  this, 
a  herd  of  zebras,  which  I  had  not  observed,  got  my  wind 
and  came  cantering  through  the  cover  within  a  few 
yards  of  me.  When  I  reached  the  spot  where  I  had 
seen  the  buffaloes,  they  were  gone. 

Early  on  the  4th  we  inspanned  and  continued  our 
march  for  Booby,  a  large  party  of  savages  still  follow- 
ing the  wagons.  Before  proceeding  far  I  was  tempted 
by  the  beautiful  appearance  of  the  country  to  saddle 
horses  to  hunt  in  the  mountains  westward  of  my  course. 
I  directed  the  wagons  to  proceed  a  few  miles  under 
guidance  of  the  natives,  and  there  await  my  arrival.  I 
was  accompanied  by  Isaac,  who  was  mounted  on  the 
Old  Gray,  and  carried  my  clumsy  Dutch  rifle  of  six  to 
the  pound.  Two  Bechuanas  followed  us,  leading  four 
of  my  dogs.  Having  crossed  a  well- wooded  strath,  we 
reached  a  little  crystal  river,  whose  margin  was  tram- 
pled down  with  the  spoor  of  a  great  variety  of  heavy 
game,  but  especially  of  buffalo  and  rhinoceros.  We 
took  up  the  spoor  of  a  trcop  of  buflaloes,  which  we  fol- 
lowed along  a  path  made  by  the  heavy  beasts  of  the 
forest  through  a  neck  in  the  hills ;  and,  emerging  from 


A    BUFFALO    CHASE  211 

the  thicket,  we  beheld,  on  the  other  side  of  a  valley 
which  had  opened  upon  us,  a  herd  of  about  ten  huge 
bull  buffaloes.  These  I  attempted  to  stalk,  but  was 
defeated  by  a  large  herd  of  zebras,  which,  getting  our 
wind,  charged  past  and  started  the  buffaloes.  I  ordered 
the  Bechuanas  to  release  the  dogs;  and  spurring  Coles- 
berg,  which  I  rode  for  the  first  time  since  the  affair 
with  the  lioness,  I  gave  chase.  The  buffaloes  crossed 
the  valley  in  front  of  me,  and  made  for  a  succession  of 
dense  thickets  in  the  hills  to  the  northward.  As  they 
crossed  the  valley,  by  riding  hard  I  obtained  a  broad- 
side shot  at  the  last  bull,  and  fired  both  barrels  into  him. 
He,  however,  continued  his  course,  but  I  presently  sep- 
arated him,  along  with  two  other  bulls,  from  the  troop. 
My  rifle  being  a  two-grooved,  which  is  hard  to  load,  I 
was  unable  to  do  so  on  horseback,  and  followed  with  it 
empty,  in  the  hope  of  bringing  them  to  bay.  In  passing 
through  a  grove  of  thorny  trees  I  lost  sight  of  the  wound- 
ed buffalo;  he  had  turned  short  and  doubled  back,  a 
common  practice  with  them  when  wounded.  After  fol- 
lowing the  other  two  at  a  hard  gallop  for  about  two 
miles,  1  was  riding  within  five  yards  of  their  huge 
broad  sterns.  They  exhaled  a  strong  bovine  smell, 
which  came  hot  in  my  face.  I  expected  every  minute 
that  they  would  come  to  bay,  and  give  me  time  to 
load  ;  but  this  they  did  not  seem  disposed  to  do.  At 
length,  finding  I  had  the  speed  of  them,  I  increased  my 
pace  ;  and  going  ahead,  I  placed  myself  right  before  the 
finest  bull,  thus  expecting  to  force  him  to  stand  at  bay; 
upon  which  he  instantly  charged  me  with  a  low  roar, 
very  similar  to  the  voice  of  a  lion.  Colesberg  neatly 
avoided  the  charge,  and  the  bull  resumed  his  northward 
course.  We  now  entered  on  rocky  ground,  and  the  for- 
est became  more  dense  as  we  proceeded.     The  buffa- 


212  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

loes  were  evidently  making  for  some  strong  retreat.  I, 
however,  managed  with  much  difficulty  to  hold  them 
in  view,  following  as  best  I  could  through  thorny  thick- 
ets. Isaac  rode  some  hundred  yards  behind,  and  kept 
shouting  to  me  to  drop  the  pursuit,  or  I  should  be  kill- 
ed. At  last  the  buffaloes  suddenly  pulled  up,  and  stood 
at  bay  in  a  thicket  within  twenty  yards  of  me.  Spring- 
ing from  my  horse,  I  hastily  loaded  my  two-grooved 
rifle,  which  I  had  scarcely  completed  when  Isaac  rode 
up  and  inquired  what  had  become  of  the  buffaloes,  lit- 
tle dreaming  that  they  were  standing  within  twenty 
yards  of  him.  I  answered  by  pointing  my  rifle  across 
his  horse's  nose,  and  letting  fly  sharp  right  and  left  at 
the  two  buffaloes.  A  headlong  charge,  accompanied 
by  a  rauflled  roar,  was  the  result.  In  an  instant  I  was 
round  a  clump  of  tangled  thorn-threes  ;  but  Isaac,  by 
the  violence  of  his  efforts  to  get  his  horse  in  motion, 
lost  his  balance,  and  at  the  same  instant,  his  girths  giv- 
ing way,  himself,  his  saddle,  and  big  Dutch  rifle,  all 
came  to  the  ground  together,  with  a  heavy  crash,  right 
in  the  path  of  the  infuriated  buffaloes.  Two  of  the 
dogs,  which  had  fortunately  that  moment  joined  us,  met 
them  in  their  charge,  and,  by  diverting  their  attention, 
probably  saved  Isaac  from  instant  destruction.  The 
buffaloes  now  took  up  another  position  in  an  adjoining 
thicket.  They  were  both  badly  wounded,  blotches  and 
pools  of  blood  marking  the  ground  where  they  had  stood. 
The  dogs  rendered  me  assistance  by  taking  up  their  at- 
tention, and  in  a  few  minutes  these  two  noble  bulls 
breathed  their  last  beneath  the  shade  of  a  mimosa 
grove.  Each  of  them,  in  dying,  repeatedly  uttered  a 
very  striking,  low,  deep  moan.  This  I  subsequently 
ascertained  the  buffalo  invariably  utters  when  in  the 
act  of  expiring. 


IMMENSE    HORNS    OF   THE   BUFFxVLO.  213 

On  going  up  to  them,  I  was  astonished  to  behold  their 
size  and  powerful  appearance.  Their  horns  reminded 
me  of  the  rugged  trunk  of  an  oak-tree.  Each  horn 
was  upward  of  a  foot  in  breadth  at  the  base,  and  to- 
gether they  effectually  protected  the  skull  with  a  mass- 
ive and  impenetrable  shield.  The  horns,  descending, 
and  spreading  out  horizontally,  completely  overshad- 
owed the  animal's  eyes,  imparting  to  him  a  look  the 
most  ferocious  and  sinister  that  can  be  imagined.  On 
my  way  to  the  wagons  I  shot  a  stag  sassayby,  and  while 
I  was  engaged  in  removing  his  head  a  troop  of  about 
thirty  doe  pallahs  cantered  past  me,  followed  by  one 
princely  old  buck.  Snatching  up  my  rifle,  I  made  a 
fine  shot,  and  rolled  him  over  in  the  grass. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  I  dispatched  men  with  a  pack- 
horse  to  bring  the  finer  of  the  two  buffalo-heads.  It 
was  so  ponderous  that  two  powerful  men  could  with  dif- 
ficulty raise  it  from  the  ground.  The  Bechuanas  who 
had  accompanied  me,  on  hearing  of  my  success,  snatch- 
ed up  their  shields  and  assagais,  and  hastened  to  secure 
the  flesh,  nor  did  I  see  any  more  of  them,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  two  Baquaines,  who  remained  with  me, 
being  engaged  in  a  plot  with  my  interpreter  to  prevent 
my  penetrating  to  Bamangwato.  Isaac  did  not  soon 
forget  his  adventure  with  the  bufTaloes;  and  at  night, 
over  the  fire,  he  informed  my  men  that  I  was  mad,  and 
that  any  man  who  followed  me  was  going  headlong  to 
his  own  destruction.  At  an  early  hour  on  the  oth  1 
continued  my  march  through  a  glorious  country  of  hill 
and  dale,  throughout  which  water  was  abundant. 

Beautifully  wooded  hills  and  mountains  stretched 
away  on  every  side;  some  of  the  mountains  were  par- 
ticularly grand  and  majestic,  their  summits  being  sur- 
rounded by  steep  precipices  and  abrupt  parapets  of 


214  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

rock,  the  abodes  of  whole  colonies  of  black-faced  bab- 
oons, which,  astonished  to  behold  such  novel  intruders 
upon  their  domains,  leisurely  descended  the  craggy 
mountain  sides  for  a  nearer  inspection  of  our  caravan. 
Seating  themselves  together  upon  a  broad  ledge,  they 
seemed  to  hold  a  council  as  to  the  propriety  of  jiermit- 
ting  us  to  proceed  further  through  their  territories.  Hav- 
ing advanced  about  nine  miles,  I  drew  up  my  wagons 
on  the  bank  of  a  rivulet,  where  the  spoor  of  large  game 
was  extremely  abundant.  In  the  bed  of  the  stream 
I  discovered  the  scaly  sidn  of  a  manis,  which  had  been 
newly  eaten  by  some  bird  of  prey.  This  extraordinary 
animal,  which  in  its  habits  partakes  of  the  nature  of 
the  hedgehog,  is  about  three  feet  in  length,  and  is  cov- 
ered all  over  with  an  impenetrable  coat  of  mail,  con- 
sisting of  large  rough  scales  about  the  size  and  shape 
of  the  husk  of  an  artichoke ;  these  overlap  one  another 
in  an  extraordinary  and  very  beautiful  manner.  Its 
tail  is  broad,  and  likewise'  covered  with  scales ;  on  be- 
ing disturbed  it  rolls  itself  into  a  ball.  The  manis  is 
met  with  throughout  the  interior  of  South  Africa,  but 
it  is  rare  and  very  seldom  seen. 

It  was  on  the  4th  of  June  that  I  beheld  for  the  first 
time  the  rhinoceros.  Having  taken  some  coffee,  I  rode 
out  unattended,  with  my  rifle,  and  before  proceeding 
far  I  fell  in  with  a  huge  white  rhinoceros  with  a  large 
calf,  standing  in  a  thorny  grove.  Getting  my  wind, 
she  set  off"  at  top  speed  through  thick  thorny  bushes, 
the  calf,  as  is  invariably  the  case,  taking  the  lead,  and 
the  mother  guiding  its  course  by  placing  her  horn,  gen- 
erally about  three  feet  in  length,  against  its  ribs.  My 
horse  shied  very  much  at  first,  alarmed  at  the  strange 
appearance  of  "  Chukuroo,"  but  by  a  sharp  application 
of  spur  and  jambok  I  prevailed  upon  him  to  follow,  and 


HU^'TING    THE    RHINOCEROS.  215 

presently,  the  ground  improving,  I  got  alongside,  and, 
firing  at  the  gallop,  sent  a  bullet  through  her  shoulder. 
She  continued  her  pace  with  blood  streaming  from  the 
wound,  and  very  soon  reached  an  impracticable  thorny 
jungle,  where  I  could  not  follow,  and  instantly  lost  her. 
In  half  an  hour  I  fell  in  with  a  second  rhinoceros,  be- 
ing an  old  bull  of  the  white  variety.  Dismounting,  I 
crept  within  twenty  yards,  ^id  saluted  him  with  both 
barrels  in  the  shoulder,  upon  which  he  made  off,  utter- 
ing a  loud  blowing  noise,  and  upsetting  every  thing 
that  obstructed  his  progress. 

Shortly  after  this  I  found  myself  on  the  banks  of  the 
stream  beside  which  my  wagons  were  outspanned. 
Following  along  its  margin,  I  presently  beheld  a  bull 
of  the  borele,  or  black  rhinoceros,  standing  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  me.  Dismounting  from  my  horse,  I 
secured  him  to  a  tree,  and  then  stalked  within  twenty 
yards  of  the  huge  beast,  under  cover  of  a  large,  strong 
bush.  Borele,  hearing  me  advance,  came  on  to  see 
what  it  was,  and  suddenly  protruded  his  horny  nose 
within  twenty  yards  of  me.  Knowing  well  that  a  front 
shot  would  not  prove  deadly,  I  sprang  to  my  feet  and 
ran  behind  the  bush.  Upon  this  the  villain  charged, 
blowing  loudly,  and  chased  me  round  the  bush.  Had 
his  activity  been  equal  to  his  ugliness,  my  wanderings 
would  have  terminated  here,  but  by  my  superior  agili- 
ty I  had  the  advantage  in  the  turn.  After  standing  a 
short  time  eyeing  me  through  the  bush,  he  got  a  whifF 
of  my  wind,  which  at  once  alarmed  him.  Uttering  a 
blowing  noise,  and  erecting  his  insignificant  yet  saucy- 
looking  tail,  he  wheeled  about,  leaving  me  master  of 
the  field,  when  I  sent  a  bullet  through  his  ribs  to  teach 
him  manners.* 

•  Of  the  rhinoceros  there  are  four  varieties  in  South  Africa,  distin 


216  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

Finding  that  rhinoceroses  were  abundant  in  the  vi 
cinity,  I  resolved  to  halt  a  day  for  the  purpose  of  hunt 

guished  by  the  Bechuanas  by  the  names  of  the  borele,  or  black  rhinoc- 
eros, the  keitloa,  or  two-horned  black  rhinoceros  the  muchocho,  or 
common  white  rhinoceros,  and  the  kobaoba,  or  long-horned  white  rhi' 
noceros.  Both  varieties  of  the  black  rhinoceros  are  extremely  fiert 
and  dangerous,  and  rush  headlong  and  unprovoked  at  any  object  whic\ 
attracts  their  attention.  They  never  attain  much  fat,  auil  their  flesh  ia 
tough,  and  not  much  esteemed  by  the  Bechuanas.  Their  food  consists 
almost  entirely  of  the  thorny  branches  of  the  wait-a-bit  thorns.  Their 
horns  are  much  shorter  than  those  of  the  other  varieties,  seldom  ex- 
ceeding eighteen  inches  in  length.  They  are  finely  polished  with  con- 
stant rubbing  against  the  trees.  The  skull  is  remarkably  formed,  its 
most  striking  feature  being  the  tremendous  thick  ossification  in  which 
it  ends  above  the  nostrils.  It  is  on  this  mass  that  the  horn  is  supported. 
The  bonis  are  not  connected  with  the  skull,  being  attached  merely  by 
the  skin,  and  they  may  thus  be  separated  from  the  head  by  means  of  a 
shai-p  knile.  They  are  hard  and  perfectly  solid  throughout,  and  are  a 
fine  material  for  various  articles,  such  as  driuking-cups,  mallets  for  rifles, 
handles  for  turner's  tools,  &c.,  &c.  The  horn  is  capable  of  a  very  high 
polish.  The  eyes  of  the  rhinoceros  are  sinall  and  spai'kling,  and  do  not 
readily  observe  the  hunter,  provided  he  keeps  to  leeward  of  them 
The  skin  is  extremely  thick,  and  only  to  be  penetrated  c»  bullets  hard 
ened  with  solder.  During  the  day  ihe  rhinoceros  will  be  found  lying 
asleep  or  standing  indolently  in  some  retired  part  of  the  forest,  or  undei 
the  base  of  the  mountains,  sheltered  from  thepow'Cr  of  the  sun  by  some 
friendly  grove  of  umbrella-topped  mimosas.  In  the  evening  they  com- 
mence their  nightly  ramble,  and  wander  over  a  great  extent  of  coun- 
try. Tney  usually  visit  the  fountains  between  the  hmu-s  of  nine  ai.d 
twelve  o'clock  at  night,  and  it  is  on  these  occasions  that  they  may  be 
most  successfully  hunted,  and  with  the  least  danger.  The  black  rhinoc- 
eros is  subject  to  paroxysms  of  unprovoked  fury,  often  plowing  up  the 
ground  for  several  yards  with  its  honis,  and  assaulting  large  bushes  in 
the  most  violent  manner.  On  these  bushes  they  work  for  hours  with 
their  horns,  at  the  same  time  snorting  and  blowuig  loudly,  nor  do  they 
leave  them  in  general  until  they  have  broken  them  into  pieces.  The 
rhinoceros  is  supposed  by  many,  and  by  myself  among  the  rest,  to  be 
the  animal  alluded  to  by  Job,  cliap.  xxxix.,  verses  10  and  11,  where  it 
is  written,  "  Canst  thou  bind  the  unicorn  with  his  band  in  the  fuiTow  ? 
or  will  he  harrow  the  valleys  after  thee  7  Wilt  thou  tnist  him  because 
hia  strength  is  great?  or  wilt  thou  leave  thy  labor  to  him?"  evidently 
alluding  to  an  animal  possessed  of  gi-eat  strength  and  of  untamable 
disposition,  for  both  of  which  the  rhinoceros  is  remarkable.  All  tha 
four  varieties  delight  to  roll  and  wallow  in  mad,  with  which  their  rug- 


HABITS   OF    THE    RHINOCEROS A   BULL   ELANU.        217 

ing,  and  after  an  early  breakfast  on  the  6tli  I  rode 
southeast  with  the  two  Baqi^iaines.  They  led  me  along 
the  bases  of  the  mountains,  through  woody  dells  and 
open  glades,  and  ws  eventually  reached  a  grand  forest 
gray  with  age.  Here  we  found  abundance  of  spoor  of 
a  variety  of  game,  and  started  several  herds  of  the  more 
common  varieties.  At  length  I  observed  an  old  bull 
eland  standing  under  a  tree.  He  was  the  first  that  I 
had  seen,  and  was  a  noble  specimen,  standing  about  six 
feet  high  at  the  shoulder.  Observing  us,  he  made  off 
at  a  gallop,  springing  over  the  trunks  of  decayed  trees 
which  lay  across  his  path;  but  very  soon  he  reduced 

jsd  hides  are  generally  iucrusted.  Both  varieties  of  the  black  rhmoc- 
ei'os  are  much  smaller  aud  more  active  than  the  white,  and  are  so  swift 
that  a  horse  with  a  rider  on  his  back  can  rarely  overtake  them.  Tho 
two  varieties  of  the  white  rhinoceros  are  so  similar  in  habits,  that  the 
description  of  one  will  serve  for  both,  the  principal  difference  consist- 
ing in  the  length  and  set  of  the  anterior  horn;  that  of  the  muchocho 
averaging  from  two  to  three  feet  in  length,  and  pointing  backward, 
while  the  honi  of  the  kobaoba  often  exceeds  four  feet  in  length,  and 
inclines  forward  from  the  nose  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees.  The 
posterior  horn  of  either  species  seldom  exceeds  six  or  seven  inches  in 
length.  The  kobaoba  is  the  rai'er  of  the  two,  and  it  is  found  very  far 
in  the  interior,  chiefly  to  the  eastward  of  the  Limpopo.  Its  horns  are 
very  valuable  for  loading  rods,  supplying  a  substance  at  once  suitable 
for  a  sporting  implement  and  excellent  for  the  purpose.  Both  these 
vai-ieties  of  rhinoceros  attain  an  enormous  size,  being  the  animals  next 
in  magnitude  to  the  elephant.  They  feed  solely  on  grass,  carry  much 
fat,  and  their  flesh  is  excellent,  being  preferable  to  beef.  They  are  of 
a  much  milder  and  more  inoffensive  disposition  than  the  black  rhinoc- 
eros, rarely  charging  their  pursuer.  Their  speed  is  very  inferior  to 
that  of  the  other  varieties,  and  a  person  well  mounted  can  overtake 
and  shoot  them.  The  head  of  these  is  a  foot  longer  than  that  of  the 
borele.  They  generally  cany  their  heads  low,  whereas  the  borele. 
when  disturbed,  carries  his  very  high,  which  imparts  to  him  a  saucy 
and  independent  air.  Unlike  the  elephants,  they  never  associate  in 
herds,  but  are  met  with  singly  or  in  pairs.  In  districts  where  they  are 
abundant,  from  three  to  six  may  be  found  in  company,  and  I  once  saw 
upward  of  a  dozen  congregated  together  on  some  young  grass,  but  such 
an  occurrence  is  rai-e. 

Vol.  1.— K 


218  ADVENTURES    O    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

his  pace  to  a  trot.  Spurring  my  horse,  another  mo- 
ment  saw  me  riding  hard  behind  him.  Twice  in  the 
thickets  I  lost  sight  of  him,  and  he  very  nearly  escaped 
me;  but  at  length,  the  ground  improving,  I  came  up 
with  him,  and  rode  within  a  few  yards  behind  him. 
Long  streaks  of  foam  now  streamed  from  his  mouth, 
and  a  profuse  perspiration  had  changed  his  sleelc  gray 
coat  to  an  ashy  blue.  Tears  trickled  from  his  large 
dark  eye,  and  it  was  plain  that  the  eland's  hours  were 
numbered.  Pitching  my  rifle  to  my  shoulder,  I  let  fly 
at  the  gallop,  and  mortally  wounded  him  behind ;  then 
spurring  my  horse,  I  shot  past  him  on  his  right  side, 
and  discharged  my  other  barrel  behind  his  shoulder, 
when  the  eland  staggered  for  a  moment  and  subsided 
in  the  dust.*  The  two  Baquaines  soon  made  their  ap- 
pearance, and  seemed  delighted  at  my  success.  Hav- 
ing kindled  a  fire,  they  cut  out  steaks,  which  they 
roasted  on  the  embers:  I  also  cooked  a  steak  for  my- 

*  This  magnificent  aninaal  is  by  far  the  largest  of  all  the  antelope 
tribe,  exceeding  a  large  ox  in  size.  It  also  attains  an  extraordinary 
condition,  being  often  burdened  with  a  very  large  amount  of  fat.  Its 
flesh  is  most  excellent,  and  is  justly  esteemed  above  all  others.  It  lias 
a  peculiar  sv^'eetness,  and  is  tender  and  fit  for  use  the  moment  the  ani- 
mal is  killed.  Like  the  gemsbok,  the  eland  is  independent  of  water, 
and  frequents  the  borders  of  the  great  Kalahari  desert  in  herds  varying 
from  ten  to  a  hundred.  It  is  also  generally  diffused  throughout  all  tlie 
wooded  districts  of  the  interior  where  I  hunted.  Like  odier  varieties 
of  deer  and  antelope,  the  old  males  may  often  be  found  consorting  to. 
gether  apart  from  the  females,  and  a  troop  of  these,  when  in  full  con- 
dition, may  be  likened  to  a  herd  of  stall-fed  oxen.  The  eland  has  less 
speed  than  any  other  variety  of  antelope  ;  and,  by  judicious  riding,  they 
may  be  driven  to  camp  from  a  great  distance.  In  this  manner  I  liave 
often  ridden  the  best  bull  out  of  the  herd,  and  brought  him  within  gun- 
shot of  my  wagons,  wliere  I  could  more  conveniently  cut  up  and  pre- 
serve the  flesh,  without  the  trouble  of  sending  men  and  pack-oxen  to 
fetch  it.  I  have  repeatedly  seen  an  eland  drop  down  dead  at  the  end 
oi  a  severe  chase,  owing  to  his  plethoric  habit.  The  skin  of  the  eland 
1  had  just  shot  emitted,  like  most  other  ante]  jpes,  the  most  delicious 
perfume  of  trees  and  grass. 


SHOOT    A   WHITE    RHINOCEROS,  219 

self,  spitting  it  upon  a  forked  branch,  the  other  end  of 
which  I  sharpened  with  my  knife  and  stuck  into  the 
ground. 

Havirig  eaten  my  steak,  I  rode  to  my  wagons,  where 
I  partook  of  coffee,  and,  having  mounted  a  fresh  horse, 
again  set  forth,  accompanied  by  Carollus  leading  a  pack- 
horse,  to  bring  home  the  head  of  the  eland  and  a  sup- 
ply of  the  flesh :  I  took  all  my  dogs  along  with  me  to 
share  in  the  banquet.  We  had  not  proceeded  far  when 
the  dogs  went  ahead  on  some  scent.  Spurring  my 
horse,  I  followed  through  the  thorny  bushes  as  best  I 
might,  and,  emerging  on  an  open  glade,  beheld  two 
huge  white  rhinoceroses  trotting  along  before  me.  The 
dogs  attacked  them  with  fury,  and  a  scene  of  intense 
excitement  ensued.  The  Old  Gray,  on  observing  them, 
pricked  up  his  ears  and  seemed  only  half  inclined  to 
follow,  but  a  sharp  application  of  the  spur  reminded 
him  of  his  duty,  and  I  was  presently  riding  within  ten 
yards  of  the  stern  of  the  largest,  and  sent  a  bullet 
through  her  back.  The  Old  Gray  shied  considerably 
and  became  very  unmanageable,  and  on  one  occasion, 
in  consequence,  the  rhinoceros,  finding  herself  hemmed 
in  by  a  bend  in  a  water-course,  turned  round  to  charge  : 
I  had  a  very  narrow  escape.  Presently,  galloping  up 
on  one  side,  I  gave  her  a  bad  wound  in  the  shoulder, 
soon  after  which  she  came  to  bay  in  the  dry  bed  of  a 
river.  Dismounting  from  my  horse,  I  commenced  load- 
ing, but  before  this  was  accomplished  she  was  off  once 
more.  I  followed  her,  putting  on  my  caps  as  I  rode, 
and  coming  up  alongside,  I  made  a  fine  shot  from  the 
saddle,  firing  at  the  gallop.  The  ball  entered  some- 
where near  her  heart.  On  receiving  this  shot  she  reeled 
about,  while  torrents  of  blood  streamed  from  her  mouth 
and  wounds,  and  presently  she  rolled  over  and  expired, 


220  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

uttering  a  shrill  screaming  sound  as  she  died,  which 
rhinoceroses  invariably  do  while  in  the  agonies  of  death. 
The  chase  had  led  me  close  in  along  the  northern 
base  of  a  lofty  detached  mountain,  the  highest  in  all  that 
country.  This  mountain  is  called  by  the  Bechuanas 
the  Mountain  of  the  Eagles.  The  eland  which  I  had 
shot  in  the  morning  lay  somewhere  to  the  southward 
of  this  mountain,  but  far  in  the  level  forest.  Having 
rounded  the  mountain,  I  began  to  recognize  the  ground, 
and  presently  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  behold  a  few 
vultures  soaring  over  the  forest  in  advance,  and,  on 
proceeding  a  short  distance  further,  large  groups  of 
these  birds  were  seated  on  the  gray  and  weather-beaten 
branches  of  the  loftiest  old  trees  of  the  forest.  This 
was  a  certain  sign  that  the  eland  was  not  far  distant; 
and  on  raising  my  voice  and  loudly  calling  on  the  name 
of  Carollus,  I  was  instantly  answered  by  that  individ- 
ual, who,  heedless  of  his  master's  fate,  was  actively 
employed  in  cooking  for  himself  a  choice  steak  from 
the  dainty  rump  of  the  eland.  That  night  I  slept  be- 
neath the  blue  and  starry  canopy  of  heaven.  My  sleep 
was  light  and  sweet,  and  no  rude  dreams  or  hankering 
cares  disturbed  the  equanimity  of  my  repose. 


THE  HORN  OF  THE  RHINOCEROS.         221 


CHAPTER  XII. 

My  Hottentots  object  to  advance  further  into  the  Interior — A  Boar 
Hunt — We  march  through  a  charming  Country — The  Mountain  Pass 
of  Sesetabie — A  Lion  and  Lioness  inspect  my  Cattle,  and  the  Lion 
pays  for  peeping — Hungry  Hyaenas  sup  upon  the  Cattle  Furniture — 
The  Camelopard  —  Description  of  its  Habits  —  Booby,  a  Bechuana 
Kraal — Gun  Medicine — Disastrous  Finale  to  an  Incantation — Native 
Conspiracy  to  prevent  my  further  Progress. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  7th  we  arose,  and,  having 
loaded  the  pack-horse  with  a  burden  of  flesh  and  fat,  I 
dispatched  one  of  the  Baquaines  with  him  to  camp. 
Carollus  and  I  then  rode  for  the  rhinoceros  to  secure 
the  horn.  On  nearing  the  carcass,  a  noble  bull  buffalo 
stood  within  thirty  yards  of  me,  but  I  had  omitted  to 
put  on  my  caps.  Lions  had  consumed  a  large  part  of 
the  rhinoceros,  and  had  sneaked  ofT  on  hearing  us  ap- 
proach, leaving,  as  is  usual,  matted  locks  from  their 
shaggy  gray  manes  sticking  on  the  broken  points  of  th  b 
projecting  ribs.  My  dogs,  on  scenting  them,  ran  baik 
ing  angrily  in  the  direction  which  the  lions  had  hcH, 
springing  up  into  the  air  with  their  hair  bristling  alai^ 
their  backs.  With  considerable  difhculty  we  separate** 
the  horn  of  the  muchocho  from  the  skin  by  means  of  a 
long,  sharp  knife.  It  was  nearly  three  feet  in  length, 
and  measured  almost  a  foot  in  diameter  at  the  bae^. 
This  being  accomplished,  wc  returned  to  camp.  He^e 
I  found  that  Isaac  had  not  been  idle  in  forwarding  his 
own  views.  I  at  once  saw  that  my  followers  had  some- 
thing unusual  on  their  minds ;  blackness  and  dismay 
were  plainly  written  on  every  countenance.     I  had 


222  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFR-.CA. 

scarcely  seated  myself  beside  the  fire,  when  Isaac  ap- 
proached me  with  a  slow,  funereal  step,  and  horror  de- 
picted in  his  face,  and  asked  me  if  I  had  heard  the 
news.  I  replied,  What  news  ?  He  went  on  to  state 
that  on  the  preceding  evening  two  men  of  the  Baman- 
gwato  tribe  had  passed  my  wagons  on  their  way  to 
Bakatla,  to  warn  that  tribe  of  the  on-coming  of  the 
cruel  and  warlike  IMatabili  (whose  powerful  chief, 
Moselekatse,  has  been  so  ably  described  in  the  pages 
of  my  fellow-sportsman,  Captain  Harris).  These  they 
represented  as  having  a  few  days  previously  attacked 
and  plundered  various  Bechuana  tribes  to  the  north- 
ward, and  that  they  were  now  advancing  by  rapid 
marches  to  devastate  the  country  and  murder  the  in- 
habitants of  these  parts. 

This  I  at  once  knew  to  be  a  fabrication  to  prevent 
my  penetrating  further,  and  I  laughed  at  Isaac  and  told 
him  he  had  dreamed  it;  to  which  he  replied,  "Yes, 
you  will  not  listen  to  my  advice  when  you  are  warned 
of  danger,  but  both  you  and  your  men  will  one  day  ac- 
knowledge the  truth  of  my  forebodings."  I  had  con- 
siderable difficulty  in  calming  the  minds  of  my  follow- 
ers, and  prevailing  on  them  to  proceed  further  wit][i  me. 

In  the  afternoon  we  continued  our  journey  to  the 
northward,  through  a  country  of  increasing  loveliness. 
Beautifully  wooded  hills  and  valleys,  captivating  to  the 
sportsman's  eye,  stretched  away  on  every  side,  with 
rivulets  of  crystal  waters  in  the  valleys  and  the  spoor 
of  large  game  very  abundant.  On  the  iTiarch  my  dogs 
dashed  up  the  wind,  and  in  two  minutes  the  peaceful 
forest  was  disturbed  by  their  united  voices,  angrily 
barking  around  some  animal  which  they  had  brought 
to  bay.  Snatching  up  my  rifle,  I  rushed  to  the  scene 
of  conflictj  and  found  them  actively  baying  a  fierce  and 


BEAUTIFUL    SCENERY.  223 

grisly  boar,  whose  foaming  jaws  were  adorned  with  a 
pair  of  tusks  so  enormous  as  to  resemble  horns,  each 
of  them  being  upward  of  a  foot  in  length.  It  was  some 
time  before  I  could  obtain  a  clear  shot,  owing  to  the 
eagerness  of  my  dogs  ;  but  at  length  an  opening  oc- 
curred, when  I  dropped  the  grim  boar  with  a  bullet  in 
the  heart.  Night  had  scarcely  set  in  when  lions  com- 
menced to  roar  in  concert  on  every  side  of  us,  and  con- 
tinued their  deep  and  awful  music  until  the  sun  rose 
next  day. 

On  the  8th  we  performed  a  short  march  before  break- 
fast, halting  beside  a  stream  of  delicious  water.  In  the 
afternoon  we  resumed  our  march,  and  halted  at  sun- 
down beside  the  broad  and  sandy  bed  of  a  periodical 
river,  through  Avhich  ran  a  crystal  stream. 

On  the  9th  we  continued  our  march  through  a  love- 
ly and  romantic  country,  steering  for  Sesetabie,  an 
extremely  bold  and  picturesque  pass,  in  the  lofty 
mountains  in  which  the  '' Kouloubeng"  or  "river  of 
wild  boars,"  a  tributary  to  the  Ngotwani,  takes  its  rise. 
As  the  wagons  proceeded,  I  walked  in  advance  with 
my  rifle,  and  presently  brought  down  a  sassayby. 
"While  following  a  herd  of  pailahs,  the  wagons  got 
ahead  of  me ;  and  on  overtaking  them,  I  found  them 
drawn  up  beside  a  sweet  little  rocky  river,  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  mountain  pass,  which  from  its  ap- 
pearance we  expected  would  prove  a  barrier  to  our  fur- 
ther progress. 

I  ascended  a  lofty  mountain  range  to  the  westward 
of  the  pass.  Here  I  fell  in  with  large  colonies  of  bab- 
oons and  a  few  klipspringers.  I  also  saw  for  the  first 
time  green  parrots  and  gray  squirrels.  A  number  of 
interesting  birds,  possessing  melodious  voices,  and  plu- 
mage more  or  less  gaud}-,  adorned  the  groves  and  for- 


224  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ests  since  I  had  crossed  the  range,  of  the  Kurrichane 
Mountains  ;  but,  throughout  my  career  in  the  forests 
of  the  interior,  my  attention  was  necessarily  so  taken 
up  with  the  pursuit  of  larger,  and  to  rae  more  interest- 
ing objects  of  the  chase,  that  I  could  rarely  bestow 
upon  the  feathered  creation  more  than  a  short  and  pass- 
ing glance  of  admiration.  Having  ascended  to  the 
summit  of  the  highest  mountain  of  the  chain,  I  obtain- 
ed a  glorious  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  It  was 
truly  a  fair  and  boundless  prospect ;  beautifully  w^ood- 
ed  plains  and  mountains  stretched  away  on  every  side 
to  an  amazing  distance,  until  the  vision  was  lost  among 
the  faint  blue  outlines  of  the  distant  mountain  ranges. 
Throughout  all  this  country,  and  vast  tracts  beyond, 
I  had  the  satisfaction  to  reflect  that  a  never-ending  suc- 
cession of  herds  of  every  species  of  noble  game  which 
the  hunter  need  desire  pastured  there  in  undisturbed 
security  ;  and  as  I  gazed,  I  felt  that  it  was  all  my  own, 
and  that  I  at  length  possessed  the  undisputed  sway 
over  a  forest,  in  comparison  with  which  the  tame  and 
herded  narrow  bounds  of  the  wealthiest  European 
sportsman  sink  into  utter  insignificance. 

The  succeeding  day  we  entered  the  gorge,  and 
wound  along  the  margin  of  the  stream,  which  danced 
and  sparkled  down  its  abrupt  and  rocky  channel,  form- 
ing a  pleasing  succession  of  babbling  streams  and  foam- 
ing waterfalls.  As  we  advanced  further  up  the  gorge 
the  path  became  extremely  contracted,  there  being 
barely  sufficient  room  to  admit  of  the  wagons  passing 
between  the  steep  and  rocky  brink  of  the  stream,  and 
the  rugged  base  of  the  lofty,  inaccessible  mountain 
which  towered  on  our  left.  On  the  opposite  side,  the 
mountain  forming  the  eastern  bulwark  of  the  pass  rose 
precipitately  from  the  water's  edge,  presenting  an  iro.- 


BOLDNESS    OF    A    LION    AND    LIONESS.  225 

passable  barrier.  It  was  a  wild  and  lonely  glen,  hith- 
erto untrodden  save  by  the  wild  denizens  of  the  forests, 
which  from  time  immemorial  had  roamed  these  soli 
tudes.  Large  stones  and  masses  of  granite  rock  ob- 
structed our  progress,  and  several  hours  were  occupied 
in  rolling  these  to  one  side  before  we  could  venture  to 
bring  on  the  wagons. 

The  next  morning  was  cold  and  windy,  and  I  lay 
in  my  wagon  longer  than  usual.  My  Hottentots  had 
thought  proper  to  leave  their  charge,  and  go  in  quest 
of  honey  under  the  guidance  of  a  garrulous  honey-bird. 
I  had  lain  about  twenty  minutes  in  my  wagon  after 
they  had  all  started,  and  was  occupied  in  reading  a 
book,  when  suddenly  I  heard  the  oxen  come  trotting 
along  in  front  of  the  wagons,  as  if  sharply  driven.  On 
raising  my  head  from  my  pillow,  I  perceived  a  lioness 
following  within  twenty  yards  of  them,  and  next  mo- 
ment her  mate,  a  venerable-looking  lion,  with  a  shag- 
gy mane  which  swept  the  ground,  appeared  in  the  yel- 
low grass  in  front  of  the  oxen,  waiting  for  her  to  put 
them  to  flight.  The  plot  had  evidently  been  precon- 
certed between  them,  this  being  the  usual  manner  in 
which  the  lion  attacks  the  buffaloes.  Fortunately,  the 
oxen  would  not  run  for  them,  and  the  lions  seemed 
surprised  at  the  confidence  of  their  game.  On  spring- 
ing to  my  feet  and  shouting  to  them,  they  joined  one 
another,  and  stood  together  beneath  a  shady  tree  with- 
in a  hundred  and  twenty  yards  of  the  wagons.  My 
horses  were  pasturing  at  a  short  distance  from  the  li- 
ons, feeding  toward  me,  and  on  these  they  seemed  now 
to  meditate  an  attack,  their  attention  being  divided  be- 
tween the  horses  and  myself.  In  such  a  position  of 
affairs,  I  considered  it  high  time  to  give  these  bold  in- 
truders a  hint  whose  cattle  they  were  so  rari'fully  herd- 

K2 


226  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ing.  Snatching  up  my  two-grooved  rifle,  which  at  all 
times  hung  loaded  in  my  wagon,  I  at  once  ran  forward 
under  cover  of  a  convenient  busliy  tree  which  inter- 
vened, and  on  gaining  .this  bush  I  was  within  seventy 
yards  of  the  lions.  Here  a  forked  branch  afforded  an 
admirable  rest.  I  placed  my  rifle  in  the  fork,  and, 
taking  the  old  lion  low,  I  let  fly,  hitting  him  in  the 
shoulder ;  the  two  then  wheeled  about,  and,  bounding 
forward  with  angry  growls,  disappeared  among  the 
trees. 

From  the  cool  state  I  was  in  when  I  fired,  and  the 
steady  aim  which  the  forked  branch  had  afforded  me, 
I  felt  convinced  that  the  lion,  if  not  dead,  must  be 
mortally  wounded,  but  I  prudently  resolved  not  to  pro- 
ceed in  quest  of  him  alone.  Presently  some  of  my 
men,  who  had  gone  to  the  carcass  of  a  buffalo  I  had 
slain  the  previous  day,  returned,  bringing  the  dogs ; 
and,  having  informed  them  of  what  had  happened,  I 
proceeded  to  take  up  the  spoor  of  the  wounded  lion. 
On  reaching  the  spot  where  the  lions  had  stood,  my 
do";s  at  once  commenced  barking^  ans^rilv  and  lookins; 
sharply  around  in  every  direction,  their  hair  bristling 
on  their  backs.  I  at  once  discovered  blood,  "which  in- 
creased as  I  proceeded  from  small  red  drops  to  large 
frothy  blotches ;  and  before  advancing  two  hundred 
yards,  on  approaching  a  dense  green  bush,  my  dogs, 
which  led  the  way,  sprang  suddenly  to  one  side,  bark- 
ing with  great  vehemence.  By  this  I  knew  that  the 
lion  was  dead,  and,  on  cautiously  rounding  the  bush, 
taking  care  at  the  same  time  to  give  it  a  wide  berth,  I 
had  the  satisfaction  to  behold  a  princely  lion  stretched 
lifeless  on  the  ground.  He  was  in  the  prime  of  Ufe, 
having  fine  sharp  teeth  ;  and  it  being  now  the  dead  of 
winter,  he  carried  the  most  luxuriant  coat  of  hair,  the 


A    DENSE    JUNGLE.  257 

rankness  of  his  flowing  mane  exceeding  in  beauty  any 
thing  I  had  hitherto  seen.  I  considered  myself  ex- 
tremely fortunate  in  having  secured  so  noble  a  speci- 
men of  the  lion  with  so  little  danger,  and  I  at  once  set 
men  to  work  to  unrobe  him,  which  they  were  not  long 
in  accomplishing. 

About  mid-day  we  inspanned,  and  trekked  on  till  sun- 
down through  a  country  the  most  wild  and  primitive 
that  can  be  conceived.  "We  proceeded  under  the  guid- 
ance of  two  Bechuanas,  who  had  joined  us  on  the  pre- 
ceding day,  and  were  proceeding  to  Booby.  The  two 
Baquaines  who  had  accompanied  me  from  Bakatla  had 
forsaken  my  standard  after  I  had  shot  the  bull  eland, 
so  liberal  a  supply  of  flesh  being  far  too  powerful  a 
temptation  to  admit  of  their  proceeding  beyond  it.  On 
gaining  the  neck  of  the  mountain  pass,  our  march  for  a 
few  miles  wound  through  beautifully-v>^ooded  grass} 
hills,  after  which  we  descended  into  a  rugged  and  dense- 
ly-wooded valley,  intersected  with  deep  water-courses 
which  threatened  momentarily  the  destruction  of  my 
axle-trees.  So  dense  was  the  jungle  that  wo  wero 
obliged  repeatedly  to  halt  the  wagons,  and  cut  out  a 
pathway  wdth  our  axes  before  they  could  advance. 
Emerging  from  this  valley,  we  entered  upon  a  more 
level  country,  still,  however,  densely  covered  with  for- 
est-trees and  bushes  in  endless  variety.  Here  water 
was  very  abundant.  We  crossed  several  streams  and 
marshes  whose  margins  were  a  mass  of  the  spoor  of 
wild  animals,  that  of  rhinoceros,  buffalo,  and  camelo- 
pard  being  most  abundant.  At  one  stream  the  fresh 
spoor  of  a  troop  of  lions  was  deeply  imprinted  in  the 
wet  sand. 

Although  I  am  now  acquainted  with  the  native  names 
of  a  number  of  the  trees  of  the  African  forests,  yet  of 


228  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

their  scientific  names  I  am  utterly  ignorant.  Tho 
shoulders  and  upper  ridges  of  the  mountains  through- 
out all  that  country  are  profusely  adorned  with  the 
graceful  sandal- wood  tree,  famed  on  account  of  the 
delicious  perfume  of  its  timber.  The  leaf  of  this  tree 
emits  at  every  season  of  the  year  a  powerful  and  fra« 
grant  perfume,  which  is  increased  by  bruising  the  leaves 
in  the  hand.  Its  leaf  is  small,  of.  a  light  silvery-gray 
color,  which  is  strongly  contrasted  by  the  dark  and 
dense  ever-green  foliage  of  the  moopooroo-tree,  which 
also  adorns  the  upper  ridges  of  the  mountain  ranges. 
This  beautiful  tree  is  interesting,  as  producing  the 
most  delicious  and  serviceable  fruit  that  I  have  met 
with  throughout  those  distant  parts,  the  poorer  natives 
subsisting  upon  it  for  several  months,  during  which  it 
continues  in  season.  The  moopooroo  is  of  the  size  and 
shape  of  a  very  large  olive.  It  is  at  first  green,  but, 
gradually  ripening,  like  the  Indian  mango,  it  becomes 
beautifully  striped  with  yellow,  and  when  perfectly  ripe 
its  color  is  the  deepest  orange.  The  fruit  is  sweet  and 
mealy,  similar  to  the  date,  and  contains  a  small  brown 
seed.  It  covers  the  branches,  and  when  ripe  the  gold- 
en fruit  beautifully  contrasts  with  the  dark  green  leaves 
of  the  tree  which  bears  it.  Besides  the  moopooroo,  a 
great  variety  of  fruits  are  met  with  throughout  these 
mountains  and  forests,  all  of  which  are  known  to,  and 
gathered  by,  the  natives.  I  must,  however,  forego  a 
description  of  them,  as  it  would  swell  these  pages  to 
undue  bounds.  Throughout  the  densely-wooded  dells 
and  hollows  of  the  mountains  the  rosewood-tree  occurs, 
of  considerable  size  and  in  great  abundance. 

Throughout  the  night  we  were  beset  by  a  daring 
troop  of  hyaenas,  which,  notwithstanding  the  vigilance 
of  my  dogs,  consumed  a  part  of  my  buffalo  trek-tow  and 


THE    GIRAFFE.  229 

also  a  number  of  straps  from  olf  the  yokes.  The  dogs 
kept  up  a  loud  and  incessant  barking  until  the  day 
dawned,  when  I  shot  one  of  the  hyaenas,  and  the  rest 
made  off. 

On  the  11th  we  were  in  the  yoke  soon  after  day- 
break. It  was  a  bitter  cold  morning,  ice  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  in  thickness  covering  the  pools  of  water.  We 
were  now  clear  of  the  extensive  mountain  ranges 
through  which  our  road  had  wound  since  leaving  Ba- 
katla,  and  were  approaching  toward  the  southeastern 
limits  of  the  great  Kalahari  desert,  on  whose  borders 
Booby  is  situated.  We  continued  our  march,  steering 
northwest,  in  which  direction  the  distant  blue  hills 
(pointed  out  to  me  as  the  position  of  Booby)  shot  ab- 
ruptly above  the  unvaried  sameness  of  the  intervening 
forest  scenery.  To  the  west,  one  eternal  ocean-like 
expanse  of  gray  forest  stretched  away  in  a  level  and 
unbroken  plain,  terminated  only  by  the  far  horizon. 
Having  performed  a  march  of  three  hoars,  we  crossed 
a  small  stream,  where  I  outspanned  to  breakfast. 

This  day  was  to  me  rather  a  memorable  one,  as  the 
first  on  which  I  saw  and  slew  the  lofty,  graceful-look- 
ing giraffe  or  camelopard,  with  which,  during  many 
years  of  my  life,  I  had  longed  to  form  an  acquaint- 
ance.* 

*  These  gis^antic  and  exquisitely  beautiful  animals,  wliich  are  admi- 
rably formed  by  nature  to  adorn  the  fair  forests  that  clothe  the  bound- 
less plains  of  the  interior,  ai'e  widely  distributed  throughout  the  inte 
rior  of  Southern  Africa,  but  are  nowhere  to  be  met  with  in  great  nura 
bers.  In  countries  unmolested  by  the  intrusive  foot  of  man,  the  gi- 
raffe is  found  generally  in  herds  varying  from  twelve  to  sixteen  ;  but  I 
have  nut  unfrequently  met  with  herds  containing  thirty  individuals, 
and  on  one  occasion  I  counted  forty  together;  this,  however,  was  owing 
to  chance,  and  about  sixteen  may  be  reckoned  as  the  average  number 
of  a  herd.  These  herds  are  composed  of  giraffes  of  various  sizes,  from 
the  young  giraffe  of  nine  or  ten  feet  in  height,  to  the  dark  chestnut- 
colored  old  bull  of  the  herd,  whose  exalted  head  towers  above  his  com- 


230  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

Although  we  had  now  been  traveling  many  days 
through  the  country  of  the  giraffe,  and  had  marched 

panions,  generally  attaining  to  a  height  of  upward  of  eighteen  feet. 
The  females  are  of  lower  stature  and  more  delicately  formed  than  the 
vnJles,  their  height  averaging  from  sixteen  to  seventeen  feet.  Some 
writers  have  discovered  ugliness  and  a  want  of  grace  in  the  giraffe,  but 
I  consider  that  he  is  one  of  the  most  strikingly  beautiful  animals  in  the 
creation ;  and  when  a  herd  of  them  is  seen  scattered  through  a  grove 
of  the  picturesque  parasol-topped  acacias  which  adorn  their  native 
plains,  and  on  whose  uppermost  shoots  they  are  enabled  to  browse  by 
the  colossal  height  with  which  nature  has  so  admirably  endowed  them, 
he  must  indeed  be  slow  of  conception  who  fails  to  discover  both  grace 
and  dignity  in  all  their  movements.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  every 
animal  is  seen  to  the  greatest  advantage  in  the  haunts  which  nature 
destined  him  to  adorn,  and  among  the  various  living  creatures  which 
beautify  this  fair  creation  I  have  often  traced  a  remarkable  resem- 
blance between  the  animal  and  the  general  appearance  of  the  locality 
in  which  it  is  fomid.  This  I  first  remarked  at  an  early  period  of  my 
life,  when  entomology  occupied  a  part  of  my  attention.  No  person  fol- 
lowing this  interesting  pursuit  can  fail  to  observe  the  extraordinaiy 
likeness  which  insects  bear  to  the  various  abodes  in  which  they  are 
met  with.  Thus,  among  the  long  green  grass  we  find  a  variety  of  long 
green  insects,  whose  legs  and  antennae  so  resemble  the  shoots  emana- 
ting from  the  stalks  of  the  grass  that  it  requires  a  practiced  eye  to  dis- 
tinguisii  them.  Throughout  sandy  districts  varieties  of  insects  are  met 
with  of  a  color  similar  to  the  sand  which  they  inhabit.  Among  the 
green  leaves  of  the  various  trees  of  the  forest  innumerable  leaf-colored 
insects  are  to  be  found ;  while,  closely  adhering  to  the  rough  gray  bark 
of  these  forest-trees,  w^e  observe  beautifully-colored  gray-looking  moths 
of  various  patterns,  yet  altogether  so  resembling  the  bark  as  to  be  invis- 
ible to  the  passing  observer.  In  like  manner,  among  quadrupeds  I  have 
traced  a  corresponding  analogy,  for,  even  in  the  case  of  the  stupendous 
elephant,  the  ashy  color  of  his  hide  so  corresponds  with  the  general  ap- 
pearance of  the  gray  thorny  jungles  which  he  frequents  throughout  the 
day,  that  a  person  unaccustomed  to  hunting  elephants,  standing  on  a 
commanding  situaftion,  might  look  down  upon  a  herd  and  fail  to  detect 
their  presence.  And  further,  in  the  case  of  the  giraffe,  which  is  inva- 
riably met  with  among  venerable  forests,  where  innumerable  blasted 
and  weather-beaten  trunks  and  stems  occur,  I  have  repeatedly  been  iu 
doubt  as  to  the  presence  of  a  troop  of  them  until  I  had  recourse  to  my 
spy-glass;  and  on  referring  the  case  to  my  savage  attendants,  I  liavo 
known  even  their  optics  to  fail,  at  one  time  mistaking  these  dilapidated 
trunks  for  camelopards,  and  again  confounding  real  camelopards  with 
these  a^ed  veterans  of  the  forest. 


A    GIRAFFE    CHASE.  231 

through  forests  in  which  their  spoor  was  abundant,  our 

eyes  had  not  yet  been  gifted  with  a  sight  of  "  Tootla" 
himself;  it  was  therefore  with  indescribable  pleasure 
that,  on  the  evening  of  the  11th,  I  beheld  a  troop  of 
these  interesting  animals. 

Our  breakfast  being  finished,  I  resumed  my  journey 
through  an  endless  gray  forest  of  cameel-dorn  and  other 
trees,  the  country 'slightly  undulating  and  grass  abund- 
ant. A  little  before  the  sun  went  down  my  driver  re- 
marked to  me,  "  I  was  just  going  to  say,  sir,  that  that 
old  tree  was  a  camelopard."  On  looking  where  he 
pointed,  I  saw  that  the  old  tree  was  indeed  a  camelo- 
pard, and,  on  casting  my  eyes  a  little  to  the  right,  I  be- 
held a  troop  of  them  standing  looking  at  us,  their  heads 
actually  towering  above  the  trees  of  the  forest.  It  was 
imprudent  to  commence  a  chase  at  such  a  late  hour, 
especially  in  a  country  of  so  level  a  character,  where 
the  chances  were  against  my  being  able  to  regain  my 
wagons  that  night.  I,  however,  resolved  to  chance  ev- 
ery thing ;  and  directing  my  men  to  catch  and  saddle 
Colesberg,  I  proceeded  in  haste  to  buckle  on  my  shoot- 
ing-belt and  spurs,  and  in  two  minutes  I  was  in  the 
saddle.  The  giraffes  stood  looking  at  the  wagons  un- 
til I  was  within  sixty  yards  of  them,  when,  galloping* 
round  a  thick  bushy  tree,  under  cover  of  which  I  had 
ridden,  I  suddenly  beheld  a  sight  the  most  astounding 
that  a  sportsman's  eye  can  encounter.  Before  me  stood 
a  troop  of  ten  colossal  giraffes,  the  majority  of  which 
were  from  seventeen  to  eighteen  feet  high.  On  behold- 
ing me  they  at  once  made  off,  twisting  their  long  tails 
over  their  backs,  making  a  loud  switching  noise  with  ■ 
them,  and  cantered  along  at  an  easy  pace,  which,  how- 
ever, obliged  Colesberg  to  put  his  best  foot  foremost  to 
keep  up  with  them, 


232  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA, 

The  sensations  which.  I  felt  on  this  occasion  were 
different  from  any  thing  that  I  had  before  experienced 
during  a  long  sporting  career.  My  senses  were  so  ab- 
sorbed by  the  wondrous  and  beautiful  sight  before  me 
that  I  rode  along  like  one  entranced,  and  felt  inclined 
to  disbelieve  that  I  was  hunting  living  things  of  this 
world.  The  ground  was  firm  and  favorable  for  riding. 
At  every  stride  I  gained  upon  the  giraffes,  and  after  a 
short  burst  at  a  swinging  gallop  I  was  in  the  middle 
of  them,  and  turned  the  finest  cow  out  of  the  herd. 
On  finding  herself  driven  from  her  comrades  and  hotly 
pursued,  she  increased  her  pace,  and  cantered  along 
with  tremendous  strides,  clearing  an  amazing  extent 
of  ground  at  every  bound  ;  while  her  neck  and  breast, 
coming  in  contact  with  the  dead  old  branches  of  the 
trees,  were  continually  strewing  them  in  my  path.  In 
a  few  minutes  I  was  riding  within  five  yards  of  her 
stern,  and,  firing  at  the  gallop,  I  sent  a  bullet  into  her 
back.  Increasing  my  pace,  I  next  rode  alongside,  and, 
placing  the  muzzle  of  my  rifle  within  a  few  feet  of  her, 
I  fired  my  second  shot  behind  the  shoulder  ;  the  ball, 
however,  seemed  to  have  little  effect.  I  then  placed 
myself  directly  in  front,  when  she  came  to  a  walk. 
>  Dismounting,  I  hastily  loaded  both  barrels,  putting  in 
double  charges  of  powder.  Before  this  was  accomplish- 
ed she  was  off  at  a  canter.  In  a  short  time  I  brought 
her  to  a  stand  in  the  dry  bed  of  a  water-course,  where 
I  fired  at  fifteen  yards,  aiming  where  I  thought  the 
heart  lay,  upon  which  she  again  made  off.  Having 
loaded,  I  followed,  and  had  very  nearly  lost  her ;  she 
had  turned  abruptly  to  the  left,  and  was  far  out  of 
sight  among  the  trees.  Once  more  I  brought  her  to  a 
stand,  and  dismounted  from  my  horse.  There  we 
stood  together  alone  in  the   wild  wood.     I  gazed  in 


PERFUME    EMITTED    BV    THE    GIRAFFE.  233 

wonder  at  her  extreme  beauty,  while  her  soft  dark  eye, 
with  its  silky  fringe,  looked  down  imploringly  at  mc, 
and  I  really  felt  a  pang  of  sorrow  in  this  moment  of 
triumph  for  the  blood  I  was  shedding.  Pointing  my 
rifle  toward  the  skies,  I  sent  a  bullet  through  her  neck. 
On  receiving  it,  she  reared  high  on  her  hind  legs,  and 
fell  backward  with  a  heavy  crash,  making  the  earth 
shake  around  her.  A  thick  stream  of  dark  blood  spout- 
ed out  from  the  wound,  her  colossal  limbs  quivered  for 
a  moment,  and  she  expired. 

I  had  little  time  to  contemplate  the  prize  I  had  won. 
Night  was  fast  setting  in,  and  it  was  very  questionable 
if  I  should  succeed  in  regaining  my  wagons ;  so,  hav- 
ing cut  off  the  tail  of  the  giraffe,  which  was  adorned 
with  a  bushy  tuft  of  flowing  black  hair,  I  took  "  one 
last  fond  look,"  and  rode  hard  for  the  spoor  of  the  wag- 
ons, which  I  succeeded  in  reaching  just  as  it  was  dark. 

No  pen  nor  words  can  convey  to  a  sportsman  what 
it  is  to  ride  in  the  midst  of  a  troop  of  gigantic  giraffes  : 
it  must  be  experienced  to  be  understood.  They  emit- 
ted a  powerful  perfume,  which  in  the  chase  came  hot 
in  my  face,  reminding  me  of  the  smell  of  a  hive  of 
heather  honey  in  September.  The  greater  part  of  this 
chase  led  through  bushes  of  the  wait-a-bit  thorn  of  the 
most  virulent  description,  which  covered  my  legs  and 
arms  with  blood  long  before  I  had  killed  the  giraffe.  I 
rode  as  usual  in  the  kilt,  with  my  arms  bare  to  my 
shoulder.  It  was  Chapelpark  of  Badenoch's  old  gray 
kilt,  but  in  this  chase  it  received  a  death  blow  which 
it  never  afterward  recovered. 

On  the  12tli  we  performed  two  long  marches  through 
thickly-wooded  plains,  the  spoor  of  camelopard  being 
extremely  abundant.  On  the  IStli  we  cast  lcA,i^e  the 
cattle  at  dawn  of  day.     Breakfast  being  fiubhed,  W9 


234  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

inspanued,  and  having  proceeded  about  eight  miles 
through  the  forest,  steering  for  a  range  of  rocky  mount- 
ains, we  reached  a  gorge  in  the  same.  Here  we  cross- 
ed a  small  river,  and,  having  followed  its  banks  about 
three  miles,  reached  Booby,  a  residence  of  Bechuanas, 
being  a  branch  of  the  tribe  of  the  Baquaines,  and  gov- 
erned by  a  subordinate  chief,  who  was  then  absent  on 
a  visit.  I  was,  however,  welcomed  by  his  nephew, 
named  Caachy,  a  man  of  pleasing  exterior  and  prepos- 
sessing manners,  who  shortly  afterward  became,  and 
now  is,  chief  of  that  tribe. 

As  the  manner  in  which  Caachy  succeeded  to  the 
chieftainship  was  peculiar,  I  may  here  relate  the  cir- 
cumstances attending  it.  Throughout  all  the  Bechu- 
ana  tribes  an  absurd  belief  prevails  in  witchcraft  and 
supernatural  agencies  of  every  Idnd.  They  also  be- 
lieve that  for  every  transaction  there  is  a  medicine 
which  will  enable  the  possessor  to  succeed  in  his  object. 
Thus  they  think  those  among  themselves  who  work  in 
iron  do  so  under  the  power  of  medicine.  Their  rain- 
makers, by  the  power  of  their  medicines,  can  propitiate 
the  friendly  clouds  during  the  protracted  droughts  of 
summer.  They  have  medicines  to  protect  them  from 
the  lightning's  stroke,  from  the  deadly  bite  of  the  viper, 
and  from  the  fatal  spring  of  the  lion.  They  further 
believe  that  there  is  a  medicine  for  guns,  the  posses- 
sion of  which  will  cause  the  gun  to  shoot  well,  and  like- 
wise one  for  the  gunpowder,  which  will  give  it  strength. 

During  my  visit  to  Booby  I  obtained  from  the  na- 
tives some  interesting  specimens  of  native  arms  and 
other  curiosities,  for  which  they  required  gunpowder, 
their  chief  having  in  his  possession  one  or  two  muskets 
When  the  chief  and  his  men  proceeded  to  use  my  pow- 
der, they  missed  all  they  fired  at ;  the  Bechuana  mode 


GUNPOWDER    MEDICINE.  235 

of  firing  being  to  withdraw  the  face  from  the  gun,  from 
a  natural  impulse  of  fear,  before  drawing  the  trigger, 
and  to  look  back  over  the  left  shoulder  instead  of  at 
the  animal  they  expect  to  kill.  The  cause  of  their 
missing  they  at  once  ascribed  to  the  powder,  which 
they  affirmed  required  medicine.  Accordingly,  the 
chief  and  all  the  long-headed  men  in  Booby  assembled 
in  the  forum ;  and  having  placed  the  unworthy  gun- 
powder upon  a  large  kaross,  they  all  sat  round  it,  and 
commenced  a  variety  of  ceremonies  and  incantations 
with  a  view  of  imparting  to  it  that  power  which  they 
considered  it  had  lost.  At  length  some  wiseacre  among 
the  soothsayers  informed  the  king  that  the  presence  of 
fire  was  indispensable  on  the  occasion.  Fire  was  ac- 
cordingly introduced  along  with  the  other  medicines, 
and  a  censer  of  hot  embers  was  passed  frequently  over 
the  powder.  Suddenly,  however,  an  unlucky  spark 
sprang  from  the  (jenser  into  the  heap  of  powder,  which  of 
course  instantly  exploded,  and,  the  quantity  being  very 
considerable,  the  Booby  men  and  their  chief  were  blown 
heels  over  head  on  every  side — several  of  the  party,  and 
among  others  the  chief,  being  so  severely  burned  that 
they  shortly  died.  So  much  for  Bechuana  medicines. 
The  kraal  of  Booby  is  encompassed  on  three  sides 
by  rocky  hills,  which  to  their  summits  are  densely  clad 
with  sandal- wood  trees.  The  sides  of  these  mountains 
in  parts  are  extremely  precipitous,  and  are  the  abodes 
of  baboons  and  klipspringers.  On  the  march,  as  we 
approached  Booby,  I  took  my  rifle  and  ascended  to  the 
base  of  one  of  these  precipices,  where  I  shot  two  im- 
mense baboons.  One  of  them  was  sitting  on  the  shelf 
of  a  rock  very  high  above  me ;  and  on  receiving  the 
shot,  he  fell  about  a  hundred  feet  without  a  break. 
The  valleys  between  the  mountains  are  extensively 


236  'adventures  in  south  africa. 

cultivated  by  the  women,  as  also  a  large  level  piece  of 
ground  to  the  northeastward  of  the  kraal.  The  cos- 
tume of  this  tribe  was  the  same  I  have  already  de- 
scribed as  worn  by  the  Bechuanas ;  but  I  remarked 
that  they  used  the  atrocious  mixture  of  red  clay  and 
grease  more  freely  than  their  neighbors.  The  Booby 
men  flocked  around  my  wagons,  evidently  much  grat- 
ified with  so  novel  a  sight,  and  continued  with  me  un- 
til nightfall.  Shortly  after  I  reached  Booby  a  party 
of  Baquaines  arrived  from  Sichely.  They  had  beer 
sent  to  endeavor  to  dissuade  me  from  visiting  Baman 
gwato,  and  to  inform  me  that  Sichely  had  ivory  and 
karosses,  with  which  to  purchase  all  my  guns ;  and 
that,  above  all,  he  wished  me  to  promise  to  reserve  my 
big  Dutch  rifle  for  him.  I  informed  these  men  that  I 
was  determined  to  visit  Sicomy,  but  that  I  would  keep 
the  Dutch  rifle  for  their  chief,  as  he  requested  it. 

Having  informed  Caachy  that  I  intended  to  march 
next  day,  he  expressed  surprise,  and  said  I  made  his 
heart  sore.  That  evening  there  was  a  meeting  of  all 
the  wise  men  in  Booby  to  consult  how  I  could  best  be 
prevented  from  journeying  on  to  Bamangwato.  On 
the  morning  of  the  14th  I  felt  far  from  well,  probably 
having  drunk  too  much  of  Caachy's  beer  on  the  preced- 
ing evening.  Before  I  was  inclined  to  turn  out,  the 
regent  with  all  his  great  men  were  standing  thick 
around  my  wagons.  I  pretended  to  be  asleep  ;  so  they 
kindled  fires,  around  which  they  squatted.  Presently 
I  arose,  and  gave  the  regent  his  breakfast.  I  told  him 
that  I  wished  him  to  send  men  along  with  me  to  Ba- 
mangwato. He  replied  that  there  was  war  in  that 
country,  and  that  he  was  afraid  of  Moselekatse.  I  then 
said  that,  though  he  would  not  give  me  men,  I  pos^ssed 
medicine  which  would  enable  me  to  discover  the  way 


TREACHERY    OF    CAACHY.  237 

without  his  assistance ;  and  I  informed  him  that,  if  he 
persisted  in  withholding  guides,  I  should  inform  Sicomy, 
the  great  and  paramount  chief  of  Bamangwato,  that 
they  endeavored  to  prevent  white  men  from  visiting 
his  domains.  Upon  this  Caachy  changed  his  story,  and 
said  that  four  men  should  accompany  me  to  Baman- 
gwato, and  return  with  me.  His  plan,  however,  was, 
that  these  men  should  guide  me  in  a  wrong  direction; 
and  pretending  that  the  waters  had  failed,  they  were 
eventually  to  lead  me  to  Sichely,  who  resided  to  the 
eastward  of  Booby. 

This  being  arranged,  I  gave  Caachy  some  presents, 
and  requested  him  to  take  charge  of  my  buffalo  and 
other  heads  until  my  return,  which  he  promised  to  do, 
and  ordered  men  to  bear  them  directly  to  his  kraal. 
About  mid-day  we  inspanned  and  left  Booby,  accom- 
panied by  nearly  the  whole  tribe,  every  man  carrying 
two  or  three  assagais  and  a  battle-ax.  They  followed 
us  in  the  hope  that  I  would  shoot  large  game  for  them. 
The  guides  at  first  held  northeast ;  but  presently  draw- 
ing off  that  course  and  steering  due  east,  I  halted,  and 
said  that  was  not  the  road  to  Bamangwato.  They  re- 
plied, they  held  that  course  on  account  of  water.  I 
then  directed  them  to  place  an  assagai  on  the  ground 
with  its  head  pointing  to  Bamangwato.  Thereupon 
the  savages  laid  down  one  of  their  assagais,  and,  having 
pretended  for  some  minutes  to  be  discussing  among 
themselves  the  exact  position  of  Bamangwato,  the^ 
ended  by  pointing  it  due  east,  declaring  that  Baman- 
gwato lay  in  that  direction.  I  told  them  that  I  had  a 
needle  in  my  pocket  which  I  had  rubbed  with  medicine, 
by  which  I  could  tell  if  their  spear  pointed  to  Sicomy's 
country.  Knowing  that  Bamangwato  lay  a  little  to 
■the  east  of  north,  I  said  that  by  turning  the  needle  three 


238  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

times  round  my  left  wrist  it  would  point  a  little  to  the 
left-hand  side  of  the  country  I  required.  On  hearing 
this,  the  savages  looked  at  one  another  with  surprise, 
and  pressed  round  me  to  see  if  my  needle  possessed  the 
power  I  represented.  Slipping  my  fingers  into  my 
shooting-belt,  I  then  pulled  out  my  pocket  compass, 
and,  passing  it  three  times  round  my  left  wrist  with 
the  utmost  gravity,  I  whistled  shrilly ;  and  on  opening 
the  compass,  I  placed  it  on  the  ground  before  them. 
Snatching  one  of  their  assagais,  I  placed  it  beside  the 
compass  a  little  to  the  east  of  north,  and  told  them  that 
it  was  there  Bamangwato  lay.  They  were  struck  with 
astonishment,  and  at  once  considered  me  as  working 
by  supernatural  agency. 

Having  done  this,  I  inquired  of  the  guides  if  they 
would  lead  me  to  waters  in  that  direction.  They  all 
shouted  that  that  was  the  desert,  and  that  no  man  had 
ever  found  water  there.  Having  said  this,  they  all 
turned  right  about,  and,  retreating  for  about  two  hund- 
red yards,  they  squatted  on  the  ground.  Isaac  and  I 
then  approached  them ;  but  they  sat  in  silence,  and 
looked  on  the  ground.  I  asked  them  why  they  all  sat 
thus.  They  answered  that  they  would  proceed  no  fur- 
ther with  me.  I  replied  that  I  was  happy  to  hear  it, 
and  that  I  could  find  the  way  better  without  them.  I 
returned  to  my  wagons,  and  ordered  my  men  to  turn 
about  and  retrace  their  steps  to  the  nearest  water. 
The  savages  then  requested  me  to  halt  and  speak  with 
them.  I  told  them  to  go  home  to  their  captain,  as 
their  presence  troubled  me  ;  and  having  proceeded  a 
few  hundred  yards,  I  encamped  beside  a  pool  of  water. 

It  was  plain  to  me  that  Isaac,  my  interpreter,  was 
in  league  with  the  Baquaines  in  their  designs  against 
me ;  but  as  I  did  not  then  intend  to  part  with  him,  bc; 


A    NIGHT    OF    ANXIETY.  239 

cause  his  presence  gave  confidence  to  my  people,  1 
deemed  it  best  to  pretend  that  I  believed  him  to  be 
sincere.  My  flesh  being  exhausted,  I  resolved  to  halt 
for  a  day  for  the  purpose  of  hunting  before  proceeding 
further  ;  and  having  obtained  a  good  supply,  to  steer 
through  the  forests  by  compass  a  little  to  the  east  of 
north,  and  to  search  for  water  with  my  horses  in  ad- 
vance of  the  wagons.  I  felt  poorly  in  health,  and  was 
much  troubled  in  mind.  My  situation  was  by  no  means 
an  enviable  one.  I  was  far  in  the  interior  of  Africa, 
alone  and  friendless,  surrounded  by  a  tribe  of  men  who 
would  do  any  thing  to  prevent  my  attaining  my  object; 
but  fear  restrained  them  from  using  violence.  What 
I  most  dreaded  was  their  stealing  my  oxen  or  horses, 
which  they  could  easily  accomplish,  as  I  was  encamped 
in  a  thick  forest ;  my  men  also  were  faint-hearted,  and 
anxious  to  return  toward  home. 

That  night  I  slept  little,  from  vexation  and  anxiety. 
The  whole  tribe  of  the  Booby  men  lay  encamped  beside 
us.  They  lay  on  the  ground  around  a  nuraber  of  fires, 
with  a  hedge  of  thorny  bushes  placed  in  a  semicircle  to 
windward*of  each  party.  After  breakfast  I  rode  east 
to  hunt,  accompanied  by  Kleinboy  leading^  pack-horse ; 
about  thirty  of  the  Bechuanas  followed  us  in  the  hope 
of  flesh.  Having  proceeded  about  two  miles,  I  per- 
ceived a  large  herd  of  blue  wildebeests  and  zebras.  I 
signed  to  the  Bechuanas  to  lie  down,  and  then  rode 
slowly  forward  as  if  to  pass  to  leeward  of  the  herd. 
Having  probably  never  before  seen  a  horseman,  they 
allowed  me  to  approach  within  a  hundred  yards,  when 
I  sprang  from  my  horse,  and  with  my  first  barrel  drop- 
ped a  fat  blue  wildebeest.  The  Bechuanas  then  rushed 
forward,  but  I  beckoned  to  them  to  lie  down.  Having 
loaded,  I  galloped  in  pursuit  of  the  troop,  and  after  rid- 


240  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ing  a  short  distance  hard  in  their  dusty  wake,  through 
a  thinly-wooded  part  of  the  forest,  I  pulled  up  and  was 
on  my  feet  just  as  the  leading  cow  wheeled  about.  I 
fired  right  and  left,  and  shot  two  fat  old  cows.  Both 
ran  a  short  distance  and  fell.  The  Bechuanas  now 
came  up  with  Kleinboy,  greatly  delighted  at  my  suc- 
cess. I  presented  them  with  the  bull  and  one  of  the 
cows  for  their  chief,  and,  having  placed  the  remaining 
cow  upon  my  pack-horse,  we  returned  to  camp. 

Here  I  found  Caachy  with  all  his  retinue :  they  had 
come  out  to  endeavor  by  cunning  speaking  to  lead  me 
astray.  Having  saluted  Caachy,  I  said  that  I  had  yes- 
terday promised  to  kill  some  game  for  him,  and  that  I 
had  now  fulfilled  my  word,  upon  which  he  thanked  me. 
I  then  remarked  that  his  men  did  not  lead  me  as  Dr. 
Livingstone  had  told  me  to  ride  ;  to  which  he  replied 
that  the  road  was  circuitous,  and  that  they  led  me  so 
on  account  of  water.  At  length  he  had  almost  per- 
suaded me  to  follow  his  guides,  but  I  said  I  would  rest 
till  to-morrow,  having  determined  that,  as  I  had  no 
friend  whom  I  might  consult,  I  would  revolve  the  sub- 
ject in  my  mind  that  night,  and  determine  finally  in 
the  morning.*  Caachy  then  drank  coffee  with  me  and 
departed.  In  the  evening  I  inquired  of  the  guides  con- 
cerning the  waters  and  the  distances  between  them. 
They  replied  that  the  first  water  was  a  rnoderate  day's 
journey,  but  after  that  I  must  ride  more  than  two  days 
without  water  :  they  also  persevered  in  pointing  to  the 
east  as  my  course,  I  now  plainly  saw  that  their  in- 
tention was  to  lead  me  far  astray,  and  finally  to  bring 
me  to  Sichely,  their  own  paramount  chief.  I  therefore 
resolved  to  adhere  to  my  first  resolution  of  steering  my 
own  course  by  the  compass,  but  I  kept  this  intention 
secret,  fearing  that  they  might  steal  some  of  my  oxen. 


MARCH    FOR    BAMANGWATO.  241 


CHAPTER   XIIL 

The  Guides  try  to  mislead  me — The  Cattle  and  Horses  dying  from 
Thirst — Search  for  Water — Melancholy  Anticipations — Directed  to  a 
Pool  by  the  Flight  of  Birds  —  Chase  and  kill  a  Giraffe — Wandering 
Bechuanas  point  out  my  right  Course  —  Miserable  Condition  of  the 
Natives — Game  Pitfalls — Mimosa  Grove  smashed  by  Elephants — A 
Rhinoceros  charges  me  —  Abundance  of  large  Game — Lost  in  the 
Forest. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th  a  large  party  of  Caachy's 
men  were  still  encamped  beside  us,  and  were  under  the 
impression  that  they  had  succeeded  in  prevailing  upon 
me  to  follow  them.  Having  filled  all  my  water-casks, 
I  ordered  my  men  to  inspan,  the  Bechuanas  cracking 
their  jokes  and  fancying  that  I  should  ride  east  as  they 
led ;  but,  to  their  astonishment,  having  inspanned,  I 
told  them  that  they  had  better  all  return  to  their  cap- 
tains, as  I  would  shoot  no  more  game  for  them,  and  I 
then  ordered  my  men  to  ride  for  a  conspicuous  tree  in 
the  distance,  bearing  N.N.E.  The  Bechuanas  sat  still 
for  some  time  to  see  how  I  would  steer,  and  presently 
they  shouldered  their  assagais  and  followed  in  our  wake. 
This  was  a  bold  step  on  my  part:  the  country  looked 
very  unlikely  for  water,  and  the  Bechuanas  swore  that 
there  was  none  for  seven  days'  journey  in  that  direc- 
tion. Our  march  lay  through  a  boundless  forest,  with 
no  hill  or  landmark  to  give  me  an  idea  where  to  search 
for  water.  Fortune,  however,  followed  me  here  as 
usual:  if  I  had  lived  all  my  life  in  the  country,  I  could 
not  have  taken  a  more  direct  course  for  the  spot  I  wish- 
ed to  reach.      After  we  had  proceeded  some  miles,  a 

Vol.  I.— L 


242  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

rising  ground  arose  in  our  path,  from  the  summit  of 
which  I  fancied  that  a  view  might  be  obtained  of  the 
country  in  advance.  This  view  only  served  to  damp 
my  hopes,  the  prospect  exhibiting  one  slightly  undu- 
lating, ocean-like  expanse  of  forest  and  dense  thorny 
jungles. 

We  halted  for  a  few  minutes  to  breathe  the  oxen, 
when  the  Bechuanas  all  came  up,  and  sat  down  on  the 
ground  beside  us.  I  asked  them  why  they  had  not 
gone  home  as  I  had  told  them.  They  replied  that  they 
followed  me  because  they  were  afraid  that  I  should  lose 
myself  and  my  oxen.  We  held  on,  steering  by  compass 
N.N.E.  All  the  Bechuanas  now  forsook  me  except  the 
four  ill-favored  men  whom  Caachy  had  pointed  out  to 
me  as  my  guides.  These  four,  contrary  to  my  expecta- 
tions, followed  in  our  wake  at  some  distance.  I  walk- 
ed a  hundred  yards  in  advance  of  the  wagons  with  my 
compass  in  my  hand,  having  ordered  the  men  to  follow 
my  footsteps.  After  traveling  for  several  hours  the  coun- 
try became  more  open,  and  presently  we  entered  upon 
a  wide  tract  that  had  been  recenty  burned  by  the  Ba- 
Kalahari,  or  wild  inhabitants  of  the  desert.  Here  the 
trees  and  bushes  stood  scorched  and  burned,  and  there 
was  not  a  blade  of  grass  to  cheer  the  eye — blackness 
and  ashes  stretched  away  on  every  side  wherever  I 
turned  my  anxious  glance.  I  felt  my  heart  sink  with- 
in me  as  I  beheld  in  dim  perspective  my  famished  and 
thirsty  oxen  returning  some  days  hence  over  this  hope- 
less desert,  all  my  endeavors  to  find  water  having  fail- 
ed, and  all  my  bright  hopes  of  elephant-hunting  dashed 
and  crowned  with  bitter  disappointment :  it  was,  in- 
deed, a  cheerless  prospect.  I  had  no  friend  to  comfort 
or  advise  me,  and  I  could  hear  my  men  behind  rae 
gT'jirbling,  and  swearing  that  they  would  return  home, 


GLOOMY   ANTICIPATIONS.  243 

the  guides,  who  had  now  come  up,  asking  them  why 
they  followed  me  to  destruction. 

At  length  wcreached  the  further  side  of  this  dreary 
waste  of  ashes,  but  now  an  equally  cheerless  prospect 
was  before  me.  We  entered  a  vast  forest,  gray  with 
extreme  age,  and  so  thick  that  we  could  not  see  forty 
yards  in  advance.  We  were  obliged  occasionally  to  halt 
the  wagons  and  cut  down  trees  and  branches  to  admit 
of  their  passing;  and,  to  make  matters  still  worse,  the 
country  had  become  extremely  heavy,  the  wagons  sink- 
ing deep  in  soft  sand.  My  men  began  to  show  a  mu- 
tinous spirit  by  expressing  their  opinions  aloud  in  my 
presence.  I  remonstrated  with  them,  and  told  them 
that,  if  I  did  not  bring  them  to  water  next  day  before 
the  sun  was  under,  they  might  turn  the  oxen  on  their 
spoor.  We  continued  our  march  through  this  dense 
forest  until  nightfall,  when  I  halted  for  the  night  beside 
a  wide-spreading  tree:  here  I  cast  my  oxen  loose  for 
an  hour,  and  then  secured  them  on  the  yokes  by  moon- 
light. 

I  felt  very  sad  and  unhappy  in  my  mind,  for  I  con- 
sidered that  the  chances  were  against  me,  and  I  shud- 
dered at  the  idea  of  returning  to  the  colony,  after  com- 
ing so  very  far,  without  shooting  or  even  seeing  what 
my  heart  most  ardently  desired,  viz.,  a  wild  bull  ele- 
phant free  in  his  native  Jungle.  I  took  some  wine,  and, 
coming  to  the  fire  which  the  men  had  kindled  for  the 
night  beneath  a  magnificent  old  cameel-dorn  tree,  I 
affected  great  cheerfulness  and  contentment,  and,  laugh- 
ing at  the  four  Bechuanas,  I  told  them  that  I  was  not 
a  child  that  they  should  lead  me  astray,  but  that  I  was 
an  old  warrior  and  a  cunning  hunter,  and  could,  find 
niy  way  in  strange  lands.  I  jaughed,  but  it  was  the 
laugh  of  despair,  for  I  expected  that  next  evening  they 


244  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

would  be  laughing  at  me,  on  seeing  me  compelled  to 
retrace  my  steps.  One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  that 
presented  itself  was,  that,  if  I  rode  in  advance  to  search 
for  water,  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  find  my  way 
back  to  the  wagons  through  that  vast  and  trackless 
forest.  I  went  to  bed,  but  tried  in  vain  to  sleep.  Care 
and  anxiety  kept  me  awake  until  a  little  before  morn- 
ing, when  I  fell  asleep  for  a  short  time,  and  dreamed 
that  I  had  ridden  in  advance  and  found  water.  Day 
dawned,  and  I  awoke  in  sorrow.  My  hopes  were  like 
a  flickering  flame ;  care  sat  upon  my  brow.  I  cast  loose 
my  horses  and  oxen,  and  prepared  some  breakfast ;  I 
then  directed  my  men  to  catch  "  The  Cow"  and  "Coles- 
berg,"  and  give  them  some  corn.  I  asked  the  guides 
if  they  could  lead  me  to  water  in  a  northerly  direction, 
when  they  replied  that  no  man  ever  found  water  in  the 
desert.  I  did  not  talk  more  with  them,  but  ordered  my 
men  to  remain  quiet  during  the  day  and  listen  for  shots, 
lest  I  should  lose  my  way  in  returning;  and  having 
given  them  ammunition  to  reply,  I  saddled  up  and  held 
N.N.E.  through  thick  forests,  accompanied  by  Klein- 
boy.  The  ground  was  heavy,  being  soft  sand,  and  the 
grass  grew  at  intervals  in  detached  bunches.  We  rode 
on  without  a  break  or  a  change,  and  found  no  spoor  of 
wild  animals  to  give  me  hope.  I  saw  one  duiker,  but 
these  antelopes  are  met  with  in  the  desert,  and  are  in- 
dependent of  water. 

At  last  we  reached  a  more  open  part  of  the  forest, 
and,  emerging  from  the  thicket,  I  perceived  a  troop  of 
six  or  eight  beautiful  giraffes  standing  looking  at  us 
about  two  hundred  yards  to  my  right;  but  this  was  no 
time  to  give  them  chase,  which  I  felt  very  much  in- 
clined to  do.  I  allowed  them  to  depart  in  peace,  and 
continued  my  search  for  water.     In  this  open  glade  I 


HUNT    FOR    WATER.  245 

found  two  or  three  vleys  that  had  once  contained  a  little 
water,  but  they  were  now  hard  and  dry.  He-entering 
the  dense  forest,  we  held  one  point  more  to  the  east, 
and  rode  on  as  before.  For  miles  we  continued  our 
search,  until  my  hopes  sank  to  a  very  low  ebb;  and 
Kleinboy  swore  that  we  should  never  regain  the  wag- 
ons. At  length  I  perceived  a  sassayby  walking  before 
me:  this  antelope  drinks  every  day ;  "  fresh  vigor  with 
the  hope  returned."  I  once  more  pressed  forward  and 
cantered  along,  heedless  of  the  distance  which  already 
intervened  between  me  and  my  camp  and  the  remon- 
strances of  my  attendant,  who  at  last  reined  up  his  jad- 
ed steed,  and  said  that  he  would  not  follow  me  further 
to  my  own  destruction.  I  then  pointed  to  the  top  of  a 
distant  gray  tree  that  stretched  its  bare  and  weather- 
beaten  branches  above  the  heads  of  its  surrounding 
comrades,  and  said  that,  if  we  saw  nothing  to  give  us 
hope  when  we  reached  that  tree,  I  would  abandon  the 
search,  and  hunt  during  that  season  in  Sichely's  mount- 
ains to  the  east  of  Booby. 

But  fate  had  ordained  that  I  should  penetrate  fur- 
ther into  the  interior  of  Africa,  and  before  I  reached  the 
old  gray  tree  I  observed  a  small  flight  of  Namaqua  par- 
tridges flying  across  my  path  in  a  westerly  direction. 
It  was  impossible  to  tell,  until  I  should  see  a  second 
flock  of  these,  flying  at  a  different  angle,  whether  the 
first  flock  had  come  from  or  were  going  to  water.  For 
this  I  accordingly  watched,  nor  watched  long  in  vain. 
A  considerable  distance  ahead  of  me  I  detected  a  second 
flight  of  these  birds  likewise  flying  westerly ;  and  it  was 
evident,  from  their  inclination,  that  they  held  for  the 
same  point  as  the  first  had  done.  Shortly  afterward 
the  first  flight  returned,  flying  high  above  our  heads,  ut- 
tering their  soft,  melodious  cry  of  "  pretty  dear,  pretty 


246  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

dear."  I  then  rode  in  the  dh-ection  from  which  the 
birds  had  come,  and  before  proceeding  far  we  discover- 
ed a  sli2;ht  hollow  runnins^  north  and  south.  This  1 
determined  to  follow,  and  presently  I  discovered  fresh 
spoor  of  a  rhinoceros:  this  was  a  certain  sign  that  water 
was  somewhere  not  very  distant. 

Once  more  my  dying  hopes  revived.  I  looked  north 
at  the  glorious  sky,  which  on  this  particular  day  was 
quite  different  from  any  thing  I  had  beheld  for  months 
It  was  like  one  of  those  glorious  days  when  the  bright 
blue  sky  in  my  own  dark  land  is  seen  through  ten  thou- 
sand joyous  fleecy  clouds,  and  all  nature  seems  io  strive 
in  its  sunny  hour  to  make  poor  unhappy  man  forget  his 
cares  and  sorrows.  I  took  it  as  a  favorable  omen,  and, 
stirring  my  good  and  lively  steed,  I  cantered  along  the 
glade.  The  hollow  took  a  turn,  on  rounding  which  I 
perceived  that  I  was  in  an  elevated  part  of  the  forest ; 
and  I,  for  the  first  time,  obtained  a  distant  view  of  the 
surrounding  scenery.  Far  as  the  eye  could  strain,  it 
was  all  forest  without  a  break ;  but  there  was  now  an 
undulating  country  before  me,  instead  of  the  hopeless 
level  through  which  I  had  come.  I  felt  certain  of  suc- 
cess. We  soon  discovered  vleys  that  had  recently  con- 
tained water,  and  at  last  a  large  pool  of  excellent  water, 
enough  to  supply  my  cattle  for  several  days.  This  was 
to  me  a  joyous  moment ;  it  was  a  grand  step  toward 
attaining  my  object,  and,  as  ray  difliculties  had  seemed 
to  increase,  my  wish  and  determination  to  overcome 
them  had  become  stronger.  I  knew  that,  whether  I 
reached  Bamangwato  or  not,  if  I  could  now  only  man- 
age to  travel  north  about  eight  days'  journey  I  should 
fall  in  with  elephants. 

I  was  extremely  fortunate  in  regaining  my  wagons, 
which  I  did  without  a  turn  in  my  course.     On  reach- 


DECEPTION    OF    THE    GUIDES.  247 

fng  them  I  at  first  pretended  not  to  have  discovered 
water ;  and  I  said  to  the  guides,  "  There  is  nothing 
but  dense  wood  in  this  country  ;  can  you  not  show  me 
water  ?  my  oxen  will  die."  They  replied  that  they 
knew  the  country  from  infancy,  and  that  if  I  wanted 
water  I  must  travel  till  sunset,  steering  south  of  east. 
I  then  surprised  them  by  saying,  "  Now  I  see  that  you 
wish  to  lead  me  astray  ;  for  I  have  seen  abundance  of 
water,  and  I  will  find  my  way  to  Bamangwato,  though 
you  do  all  in  your  power  to  prevent  me."  Having  in- 
spanned,  we  held  for  the  water,  which  I  succeeded  in 
reaching  at  a  late  hour.  I  still  felt  very  anxious  and 
full  of  care ;  but  this  first  bold  and  successful  step 
seemed  to  have  made  a  strong  impression  on  the  guides, 
who  still  followed  in  our  wake.  It  appeared  to  me  that 
the  orders  they  had  received  from  their  chief  were  to 
endeavor  to  lead  me  astray,  and  bring  me  to  Sichely ; 
but  that,  in  the  event  of  my  finding  the  way  myself, 
they  were  to  accompany  me  to  Sicomy,  to  insure  his 
friendship,  and  to  convince  him  of  their  chief's  sincer- 
ity. On  the  morning  of  the  18th,  shortly  after  the  day 
dawned,  I  was  lying  awake,  thinking  whether  I  should 
hunt  or  explore  the  country  in  advance,  my  men  hav- 
ing, as  usual,  wa.sted  their  food  and  already  consumed 
the  bull  wildebeest  which  I  had  shot  for  them  two  days 
previously,  when  suddenly  I  heard  the  voices  of  men  a 
little  distance  down  the  glade.  Fortune  seemed  de- 
termined to  favor  me.  The  guides,  who  sat  by  our  fire, 
had  not  heard  the  voices ;  if  they  had  been  aware  of  men 
being  near  us,  they  would  have  run  to  meet  them,  and 
warned  them  to  lead  me  astray.  Springing  from  my 
bed,  I  hastily  donned  my  attire,  and,  proceeding  in  tho 
direction  of  the  voices,  I  discovered  a  party  of  ten  Be- 
chuanas  squatted  round  a  fire  which  they  had  just  kin- 


248  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

died.  These  men  belonged  to  Booby ;  they  had  beer 
hunting  jackals  at  a  place  called  Bootlonamy,  which  ii 
half  way  from  Booby  to  Bamangwato,  and  they  were 
now  returning  home  with  their  spoils.  They  at  once 
pointed  out  to  me  the  correct  line  of  march  for  Ba- 
mangwato, and  advised  me  of  a  fine  vley  in  the  forest 
one  march  in  advance. 

Having  breakfasted,  I  inspanned,  and  after  trekking 
for  about  six  hours  through  dense  forest  we  reached  the 
vley.  On  the  march  it  was  necessary  to  have  constant 
recourse  to  our  axes  to  clear  a  path  for  the  wagons.  I 
was  much  delighted  with  the  little  loch  to  which  wo 
then  came  :  it  covered  about  an  acre,  in  shape  a  circle, 
and  its  margin  was  imprinted  with  the  fresh  spoor  of  a 
variety  of  wild  animals,  such  as  giraffe,  rhinoceros,  buf- 
falo, sassayby,  pallah,  zebra,  lion,  &c.  We  encamped 
beneath  two  wide-spreading  shady  trees,  and  I  at  once 
saddled  up,  and  rode  forth  with  Kleinboy  to  hunt,  our 
flesh  being  at  an  end.  I  had  ridden  about  half  a  mile 
in  a  northeasterly  course,  through  shady  groves  of  mo- 
kala-trees,  when  suddenly  I  observed  a  stately  giraffe 
walk  slowly  across  my  path,  and  crop  the  leaves  from 
the  upper  branches  of  a  mokala-tree  about  a  hundred 
yards  in  advance.  This  was  a  fine  look-out :  with  hasty 
hand  I  shifted  my  saddle  from  "  Sunday"  to  the  Old 
Gray,  and  ordering  Kleinboy  to  set  the  pack-saddle  on 
"  Sunday"  and  listen  for  shots,  I  rode  slowly  toward 
the  giraffe.  As  I  advanced  I  perceived  another  giraffe 
standing  looking  at  me  a  little  to  my  left,  which  gave 
the  alarm  by  starting  off,  when  I  stirred  my  steed,  and 
on  rounding  an  intervening  clump  of  trees  I  came  full 
in  sight  of  a  troop  of  eight  giraffes  cantering  before  me. 
In  another  minute  I  was  in  the  middle  of  them,  and 
selecting  a  fine  fat  cow,  I  rode  hard  at  her,  and  fired 


GIRAFFES.  249 

my  first  shot  at  the  gallop.  She  got  it  through  her  ribs, 
and  the  blood  flowed  freely.  Again  and  again  I  broke 
her  from  the  troop,  and  again  she  joined  them.  At 
length  I  fired  my  second  shot  at  her  stern  ;  after  which, 
by  heading  her,  I  brought  her  to  a  stand,  when  I  sprang 
from  the  fidgety,  snorting  Old  Gray,  and,  hastily  load- 
ing both  barrels,  I  fired  right  and  left  for  her  heart. 
Her  colossal  frame  shook  convulsively  for  a  few  seconds, 
when,  tottering  forward,  she  subsided  in  the  dust  with 
tremendous  violence. 

Four  signal-shots  brought  Kleinboy  and  the  pack- 
horse,  and  also  Isaac  with  the  four  guides.  The  chase 
was  all  in  thick  forest,  and  had  led  me  to  within  a  few 
hundred  yards  of  the  wagons.  The  hungry  guides 
seemed  enchanted  at  the  prospect  of  such  a  banquet. 
They  at  once  kindled  a  fire,  and  slept  that  night  beside 
the  carcass.  I  returned  to  the  wagons  with  my  horses 
laden  with  flesh.  My  mind  was  now  once  more  at  rest. 
I  went  to  my  bed  and  slept  soundly.  During  the  night 
lions  roared  around  us. 

On  the  19th  I  rose  at  dawn  of  day,  and  took  a  stroll 
through  the  forest.  Here  I  found  some  old  dung  of 
elephants,  and  observed  several  full-grown  trees  torn 
up  by  the  roots,  and  others  that  had  been  shivered  by 
the  gigantic  strength  of  those  animals.  The  guides, 
finding  that  they  prevailed  nothing,  at  length  volun- 
teered to  lead  me  to  Bamangwato  by  a  northerly  course, 
and  promised  that  I  should  not  lack  for  water.  We  in- 
spanned,  and  held  on  till  sundown,  proceeding  in  a 
northeasterly  course,  when  we  halted  in  dense  forest 
without  water.  Our  march  lay  through  an  interesting 
country  well  adapted  for  hunting  the  eland  and  giraffe. 
The  forest  was  in  many  places  thin  and  open,  with 
here  and  there  gigantic  old  trees  of  picturesque  tippcar* 

L  2 


250  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ance  standing  detached,  some  half  dead,  and  others  fall- 
ing to  pieces  from  age.  The  soil  was  soft  yet  firm,  and 
admirably  suited  for  riding.  The  spoor  of  eland  and 
giraffe  was  abundant. 

On  the  20th  we  inspanned  at  dawn  of  day,  and,  hav- 
ing proceeded  about  five  miles,  reached  a  miserable  lit- 
tle kraal  or  village  of  Bakalahari.  Here  was  a  vley  of 
Water,  beside  which  we  outspanned.  Starvation  was 
written  in  the  faces  of  these  inhabitants  of  the  forest. 
In  their  vicinity  were  a  few  small  gardens,  containing 
water-melons  and  a  little  corn.  Occasionally  they  have 
the  luck  to  capture  some  large  animal  in  a  pitfall,  when 
for  a  season  they  live  in  plenty.  But  as  they  do  not 
possess  salt,  the  flesh  soon  spoils,  when  they  are  com- 
pelled once  more  to  roam  the  forest  in  qufst  of  fruits 
and  roots,  on  which,  along  with  locusts,  they  in  a  great 
measure  subsist.  In  districts  where  game  is  abundant, 
they  oft«n  construct  their  pits  on  a  large  scale,  and  erect 
hedges  in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  extending  to  nearly  a 
mile  on  either  side  of  the  pit.  By  this  means  the  game 
may  easily  be  driven  into  the  pitfalls,  which  are  care- 
fully covered  over  with  thin  sticks  and  dry  grass,  and 
thus  whole  herds  of  zebras  and  wildebeests  are  massa- 
cred at  once,  which  capture  is  followed  by  the  most  dis- 
gusting banquets,  the  poor  starving  savages  gorging 
and  surfeiting  in  a  manner  worthy  only  of  the  vulture 
or  hysena.  They  possess  no  cattle,  and  if  they  did,  the 
nearest  chief  would  immediately  rob  them.  All  that 
part  of  the  country  abounded  with  the  pitfalls  made  by 
these  and  others  of  the  Bakalahari.  Many  of  these 
had  been  dug  expressly  for  the  giraffe,  and  were  gen- 
erally three  feet  wide  and  ten  long;  their  depth  was 
from  nine  to  ten  feet.  They  were  placed  in  the  path 
of  the  camelopard,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  several  of  these 


A    RHLVOCEROS    HUNT.  251 

we  detected  the  bones  of  giraffes,  indicating  the  suc- 
cess that  had  attended  their  formation. 

At  mid-day  we  resumed  our  march,  halting  at  sun- 
set without  water.  The  first  part  of  this  march  lay 
through  dense  forest,  where  we  were  obliged  to  cut  a 
pathway  with  our  axes.  Here  the  spoor  of  eland  was 
abundant.  In  the  evening  we  passed  through  an  open 
tract  very  thinly  wooded,  where  I  saw  abundance  of 
springbok  and  blue  wildebeest.  At  midnight,  the  dogs 
giving  chase  to  some  animal,  I  sprang  out  of  bed,  and, 
following  them  in  my  shirt,  found  them  standing  over 
a  jackal.  The  guides  skinned  him,  and,  having  baked 
him  in  the  ashes,  they  consumed  him. 

On  the  22d,  ordering  my  men  to  move  on  toward  a 
fountain  in  the  center  of  the  plain,  I  rode  forth  with 
Ruyter,  and  held  east  through  a  grove  of  lofty  and 
wide-spreadihg  mimosas,  most  of  which  were  more  or 
less  damaged  by  the  gigantic  strength  of  a  troop  of  ele- 
phants, which  had  passed  there  about  twelve  months 
before.  Having  proceeded  about  two  miles  with  large 
herds  of  game  on  every  side,  I  observed  a  crusty-look- 
ing old  bull  borele,  or  black  rhinoceros,  cocking  his  ears 
one  hundred  yards  in  advance.  He  had  not  observed 
us ;  and  soon  after  he  walked  slowly  toward  us,  and 
stood  broadside  to,  eating  some  wait-a-bit  thorns  within 
fifty  yards  of  me.  I  fired  from  my  saddle,  and  sent  a 
bullet  in  behind  his  shoulder,  upon  which  he  rushed  for- 
ward about  one  hundred  yards  in  tremendous  conster 
nation,  blowing  like  a  grampus,  and  then  stood  looking 
about  him.  Presently  he  made  off.  I  followed,  but 
found  it  hard  to  come  up  with  him.  When  I  overtook 
him  I  saw  the  blood  running  freely  from  his  wound. 

The  chase  led  through  a  large  herd  of  blue  wildo 
beests,  zebras,  and  springboks,  which  gazed  at  us  ir 


252  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

utter  amazement.  At  length  I  fired  my  second  barrel, 
but  my  horse  was  fidgety,  and  I  missed.  I  continued 
riding  alongside  of  him,  expecting  in  my  ignorance  that 
at  length  he  would  come  to  bay,  which  rhinoceroses 
never  do ;  when  suddenly  he  fell  flat  on  his  broadside 
on  the  ground,  but,  recovering  his  feet,  resumed  his 
course  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  Becoming  at  last 
annoyed  at  the  length  of  the  chase,  as  I  wished  to  keep 
my  horses  fresh  for  the  elephants,  and  being  indifferent 
whether  I  got  the  rhinoceros  or  not,  as  I  observed  that 
his  horn  was  completely  worn  down  with  age  and  the 
violence  of  his  disposition,  I  determined  to  bring  mat- 
ters to  a  crisis  ;  sOj  spurring  my  horse,  I  dashed  ahead, 
and  rode  right  in  his  path.  Upon  this  the  hideous  mon- 
ster instantly  charged  me  in  the  most  resolute  manner, 
blowing  loudly  through  his  nostrils ;  and  although  I 
quickly  wheeled  about  to  my  left,  lie  followed  me  at 
such  a  furious  pace  for  several  hundred  yards,  with  his 
horrid  horny  snout  within  a  few  yards  of  my  horse's 
tail,  that  my  little  Bushman,  who  was  looking  on  in 
great  alarm,  thought  his  master's  destruction  inevita- 
ble. It  was  certainly  a  very  near  thing  ;  my  horse  was 
extremely  afraid,  and  exerted  his  utmost  energies  on 
the  occasion.  The  rhinoceros,  however,  wheeled  about, 
and  continued  his  former  course ;  and  I,  being  perfect- 
ly satisfied  with  the  interview  which  I  had  already  en- 
joyed with  him,  had  no  desire  to  cultivate  his  acquaint- 
ance any  further,  and  accordingly  made  for  camp.  We 
left  the  fountain  of  Bootlonamy  the  same  day,  and 
marched  about  six  miles  through  an  old  gray  forest  of 
mimosas,  when  we  halted  for  the  night.  Large  flocks 
of  Guinea-fowls  roosted  in  the  trees  around  our  en- 
campment, several  of  which  I  shot  for  my  supper. 
On  the  2od  we  inspanned  by  moonlight,  and  contin- 


UNLUCKY    DAY. 


25;i 


ued  our  march  through  a  thinly-wooded,  level  country, 
[t  was  a  lovely  morning ;  the  sun  rose  in  great  pplen- 
dor,  and  the  sky  was  beautifully  overcast  with  clouds. 
Having  proceeded  about  ten  miles,  the  country  became 
thickly  covered  with  detached  forest-trees  and  groves 
>f  wait-a-bit  thorns.  The  guides  now  informed  us  that 
the  water,  which  is  called  by  the  Bechuanas  "  Lepe- 
by,"  was  only  a  short  distance  in  advance,  upon  which 
I  saddled  steeds,  and  rode  ahead  with  the  Bushman,  in- 
tending to  hunt  for  an  hour  before  breakfast.  Present- 
ly we  reached  an  open  glade  in  the  forest,  where  I  ob- 
served a  herd  of  zebras  in  advance ;  and  on  my  left 
stood  a  troop  of  springboks,  with  two  leopards  watch- 
ing them  from  behind  a  bush.  I  rode  on,  and  soon  fell 
in  with  a  troop  of  hartebeests,  and,  a  little  after,  with 
a  large  herd  of  blue  wildebeests  and  pallahs.  I  follow- 
ed these  for  some  distance,  when  they  were  re-enforced 
by  two  other  herds  of  pallahs  and  wildebeests.  Three 
black  rhinoceroses  now  trotted  across  my  path.  Pres- 
ently I  sprang  from  my  horse,  and  fired  right  and  left 
at  a  princely  bull  blue  wildebeest.  He  got  both  balls, 
but  did  not  fall ;  and  I  immediately  lost  sight  of  him 
in  the  dense  ranks  of  his  shaggy  companions.  The 
game  increased  as  we  proceeded,  until  the  whole  forest 
seemed  alive  with  a  variety  of  beautifully-colored  ani- 
mals. On  this  occasion  I  was  very  unfortunate ;  I 
might  have  killed  any  quantity  of  game  if  venison  had 
been  my  object ;  but  I  was  trying  to  get  a  few  very  su- 
perior heads  of  some  of  the  master  bucks  of  the  pallahs. 
Of  these  I  wounded  four  select  old  bucks,  but  in  the 
dust  and  confusion  caused  by  the  innumerable  quanti- 
ty of  the  game  I  managed  to  lose  them  all. 

We  had  now  ridden  many  miles  from  the  wagons ; 
and  feeling  faint  from  want  of  food,  I  dropped  the.  chase 


^54  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH   AFRICA. 

in  disgust,  and,  without  looking  at  my  compass,  order- 
ed  the  Bushman  to  go  ahead.  My  attention  had  been 
so  engrossed  with  the  excitement  of  the  pursuit,  that  I 
had  not  the  remotest  idea  of  the  course  I  had  taken,  and 
the  whole  country  exhibited  sucii  an  aspect  of  same- 
ness, that  there  was  no  landmark  nor  eminence  of  any 
description  by  which  to  steer.  Having  ridden  many 
miles  through  the  forest,  I  at  length  asked  tlie  Bush- 
man, in  whom  on  such  occasions  I  generally  placed 
great  confidence,  if  he  was  sure  he  was  riding  in  the 
right  direction,  and,  as  he  appeared  quite  confident,  1 
allowed  him  to  proceed.  At  length  he  said  that  we 
had  gone  a  little  too  far  to  the  left,  and  led  me  away 
several  miles  to  the  right,  which  was  westerly ;  where- 
as the  wagons  eventually  proved  to  be  a  long  way  to 
the  east.  I  felt  convinced  that  we  were  wrong,  and, 
reining  up,  a  discussion  arose  between  us,  the  Bush- 
man still  maintaining  that  we  must  ride  west,  while  I 
was  certain  that  our  course  should  be  east.  I  now 
adopted  my  own  opinion,  and,  having  ridden  many 
miles  in  an  easterly  direction,  we  were  at  one  time 
close  upon  the  wagons,  when  the  thick-headed  Bush- 
man declared  that  if  I  persevered  we  should  never  see 
the  wagons  again,  and  I  with  equal  stupidity  yielded 
to  his  advice,  and  a  southwesterly  course  was  once 
more  adopted.  Having  ridden  for  many  miles^  I  again 
reined  up,  and  again  told  the  Bushman  we  were  wrong ; 
upon  which  he  foj  the  first  time  acknowledged  that  he 
knew  nothing  at  all  about  the  matter,  but  stated  it  to 
be  his  impression  that  we  ought  to  ride  further  to  the 
west.  My  head  was  so  confused  that  I  lost  all  recol- 
lection of  how  we  had  ridden ;  and  while  I  was  delib- 
erating what  I  should  do,  I  observed  a  volume  of  smoke 
a  long  way  to  the  north,  which  I  at  once  imagined  had 


GET    LOST    IN    THE    WOODS. 


25t 


bren  kindled  by  my  followers  to  guide  their  lost  mas- 
ter to  the  wagons. 

With  revived  spirits,  I  stirred  my  jaded  steed  and 
made  for  the  smoke ;  but,  alas !  this  only  served  to 
lead  me  further  astray.  After  riding  many  miles  in 
that  direction,  I  discovered  that  the  fire  was  at  an 
amazing  distance,  and  could  not  have  been  kindled  by 
my  men  ;  it  was  the  wild  Bakalahari  of  the  desert  burn- 
ing the  old  dry  grass.  I  was  now  like  a  seaman  in  a 
hurricane — at  m.y  wit's  end — I  knew  not  how  to  ride 
nor  what  to  do.  The  sun,  which  had  just  risen  when 
I  left  the  wagons,  was  about  to  set.  There  was  no 
landmark  whatever  by  which  to  steer ;  I  might  wan- 
der for  days,  and  not  discover  water. 

To  find  the  wagons  was  comparatively  a  trifle.  I 
thought  little  of  them ;  it  was  the  thought  of  water 
that  harrowed  my  mind.  Already  the  pangs  of  thirst 
began  to  seize  me.  I  had  ridden  all  day,  under  the  hot 
sun,  and  had  neither  eaten  nor  drunk  since  early  the 
preceding  evening.  I  felt  faint  and  weary,  and  my 
heart  sank  as  horrible  visions  of  a  lingering  death  by 
maddening  thirst  arose  before  me.  Dismounting  from 
my  horse,  I  sat  down  to  think  what  I  should  do.  I 
knew  exactly  by  my  compass  the  course  we  had  been 
steering  since  we  left  Booby.  I  accordingly  resolved 
to  ride  southwest  for  many  miles,  the  course  of  the 
wagons  having  been  northeast,  and  then  to  send  Ruy- 
ter  across  the  country  a  little  to  the  north  of  west, 
^rhile  I  should  hold  a  corresponding  course  in  an  east- 
erly direction.  By  this  means  one  of  us  could  not  fail 
to  find  the  spoor,  and  I  arranged  that  at  nightfall  we 
should  meet  at  some  conspicuous  tree.  Having  thus 
resolved,  I  mounted  my  horse,  which  was  half  dead 
with  thirst  and  fatigue,  and,  havins;  ridden  southwest 


256  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA, 

for  several  miles,  I  and  Ruyter  separated  at  a  conspicu- 
ous tree,  and  rode  in  opposite  directions.  Before  riding 
far  I  recognized  the  country  as  being  the  spot  where  I 
had  seen  the  leopards  in  the  morning.  I  at  once  followed 
Ruyter,  and  fired  several  signal  shots,  which  he  fortu- 
nately heard,  and  soon  joined  me.  We  then  rode  due 
east,  and  eventually,  to  my  inexpressible  gratification, 
we  discovered  the  spoor  of  the  wagons,  which  we  reached 
after  following  it  for  about  four  miles  in  a  northeasterly 
direction. 

Our  poor  horses  were  completely  exhausted,  and  could 
barely  walk  to  the  camp.  I  found  my  wagons  drawn 
up  beside  the  strong  fountain  of  Lepeby,  which,  issuing 
from  beneath  a  stratum  of  white  tufous  rock,  formed  an 
extensive  deep  pool  of  pure  water,  adorned  on  one  side 
with  lofty  green  reeds.  This  fountain  was  situated  at 
the  northern  extremity  of  a  level  bare  vley,  surrounded 
by  dense  covers  of  the  wait-a-bit  thorns.  Such  a  pe- 
culiar sameness  characterized  the  country,  that  a  per- 
son wandering  only  a  few  hundred  yards  from  the  fount- 
ain would  have  considerable  difficulty  in  regaining  it. 
It  was  night  when  I  reached  the  wagons,  and  two  or 
three  cups  of  coffee  soon  restored  me  to  my  wonted 
vigor 

On  the  following  morning,  from  earliest  dawn  until 
we  trekked,  which  we  did  about  10  A.M.,  large  herds 
of  game  kept  pouring  in  to  drink  from  every  side,  com- 
pletely covering  the  open  space,  and  imparting  to  it  the 
appearance  of  a  cattle-fair ;  blue  wildebeests,  zebrasjr 
sassaybies,  pallahs,  springboks,  &c.,  capered  fearlessly 
up  to  the  water,  troop  after  troop,  within  two  hundred 
yards  of  us.  In  former  years  a  tribe  of  Bechuanas  had 
frequented  this  fountain,  and  I  beheld  the  skeletons  of 
many  rhinoceroses  and  of  one  elephant  bleaching  in  the 


THE    ILEPHANt's    FOUNTAIN.  257 

sun  ;  but  the  powerful  and  cruel  Matabili  had  attacked 
the  tribe,  and  driven  them  to  seek  a  home  elsewhere. 
[  shot  a  pallah  and  a  wildebeest,  which  we  secured  be- 
hind the  wagons.  About  10  A.M.  we  inspanned,  and 
within  a  mile  of  Lepeby  we  passed  through  another 
similar  open  vley,  containing  a  strong  fountain  of  de- 
licious water.  We  continued  our  march  till  sundo%vn 
through  an  undulating  open  country,  thinly  covered 
with  detached  trees  and  thorny  bushes,  and  encamped 
in  a  sandy  desert  without  water. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  BamaJigwato  Mountains — The  Elephant's  Fountain — A  Troop  of 
colossal  Giraffes — Elephants  drinking  by  Night — Habits  of  the  Afri- 
can Ele[)hant — Elephant  Hunt — A  Bull  shot  after  a  dungrerous  En- 
counter— Cutting  out  the  Tusks — Extraordinary  Rucks — Mountain 
Retreat  of  Sicomy,  King  of  Bamangwato — His  Cunning — Barter  Mus- 
kets for  Ivory — His  Majesty's  cui'ious  Gun-practice — Trading  for  Na- 
tive Weapons. 

On  the  25th,  at  dawn  of  day,  we  inspanned,  and 
trekked  about  five  hours  in  a  northeasterly  course, 
through  a  boundless  open  country  sparingly  adorned 
with  dwarfish  old  trees.  In  the  distance  the  long-sought 
mountains  of  Bamangwato  at  length  loomed  blue  before 
me.  We  halted  beside  a  glorious  fountain,  which  at 
once  made  me  forget  all  the  cares  and  difficulties  I  had 
encountered  in  reaching  it.  The  name  of  this  fountain 
was  Massouey,  but  I  at  once  christened  it  "  the  Ele- 
phant's own  Fountain."  This  Mas  a  very  remarkable 
spot  on  the  southern  borders  of  endless  elephant  forests, 
at  which  I  had  at  length  arrived.   The  fountain  was  deep 


258  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

and  strong,  situated  in  a  hollow  at  the  eastern  extrem* 
ity  of  an  extensive  vley,  and  its  margin  was  surround- 
ed by  a  level  stratum  of  solid  old  red  sandstone.  Here 
and  there  lay  a  thick  layer  of  soil  upon  the  rock,  and 
this  was  packed  flat  with  the  fresh  spoor  of  elephants. 
Around  the  water's  edge  the  very  rock  was  worn  down 
by  the  gigantic  feet  which  for  ages  had  trodden  there. 
The  soil  of  the  surrounding  country  v>^as  white  and 
yellow  sand,  but  grass,  trees,  and  bushes  were  abund- 
ant. From  the  borders  of  the  fountain  a  hundred  well- 
trodden  elephant  foot-paths  led  away  in  every  direction, 
like  the  radii  of  a  circle.  The  breadth  of  these  paths 
was  about  three  feet ;  those  leading  to  the  northward 
and  east  were  the  most  frequented,  the  country  in  those 
directions  being  well  wooded.  We  drew  up  the  wag- 
ons on  a  hillock  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  water.  This 
position  commanded  a  good  view  of  any  game  that 
might  approach  to  drink.  I  had  just  cooked  my  break- 
fast, and  commenced  to  feed,  when  I  heard  my  men 
exclaim,  "Almagtig  keek  de  ghroote  clomp  cameel;" 
and,  raising  my  eyes  from  my  sassayby  stew,  I  beheld  a 
truly  beautiful  and  very  unusual  scene.  From  the  mar- 
gin of  the  fountain  there  extended  an  open  level  vley, 
without  a  tree  or  bush,  that  stretched  away  about  a 
mile  to  the  northward,  where  it  was  bounded  by  ex- 
tensive groves  of  wide-spreading  mimosas.  Up  the 
middle  of  this  vley  stalked  a  troop  of  ten  colossal  gi- 
raffes, flanked  by  two  large  herds  of  blue  wildebeests 
and  zebras,  with  an  advanced  guard  of  pallahs.  They 
were  all  coming  to  the  fountain  to  drink,  and  would  be 
within  rifle-shot  of  the  wagons  before  I  could  finish  my 
breakfast.  I,  however,  continued  to  swallow  my  food 
with  the  utmost  expedition,  having  directed  my  men 
to  catch  and  saddle  Colesberg.     In  a  few  minutes  the 


A   TROOP    OF    GIRAFFES.  S59 

giraffes  were  slowly  advancing  within  two  hundred 
yards,  stretching  their  graceful  necks,  and  gazing  in 
wonder  at  the  unwonted  wagons.  Grasping  my  rifle, 
I  now  mounted  Colesberg,  and  rode  slowly  toward  them. 
They  continued  gazing  at  the  wagons  until  I  was  with- 
in one  hundred  yards  of  them,  when,  whisking  their 
long  tails  over  their  rumps,  they  made  off  at  an  easy 
canter.  As  I  pressed  upon  them  they  increased  their 
pace  ;  but  Colesberg  had  much  the  speed  of  them,  ai>d 
before  we  had  proceeded  half  a  mile  I  was  riding  by 
the  shoulder  of  the  dark-chestnut  old  bull,  whose  head 
towered  high  above  the  rest.  Letting  fly  at  the  gal- 
lop, I  wounded  him  behind  the  shoulder ;  soon  after 
which  I  broke  him  from  the  herd,  and  presently,  goino- 
ahead  of  him,  he  came  to  a  stand.  I  then  gave  him  a 
second  bullet,  somewhere  near  the  first.  These  two 
shots  had  taken  effect,  and  he  was  now  in  my  power, 
but  I  would  not  lay  him  low  so  far  from  camp  ;  so, 
having  waited  until  he  had  regained  his  breath,  I  drove 
him  half  way  back  toward  the  wagons.  Here  he  be- 
came obstreperous  ;  so,  loading  one  barrel,  and  point- 
ing my  rifle  toward  the  clouds,  I  shot  him  in  the  throat, 
when,  rearing  high,  he  fell  backward  and  expired.  This 
was  a  magnificent  specimen  of  the  giraffe,  measuring 
upward  of  eighteen  feet  in  height.  I  stood  for  nearly 
half  an  hour  engrossed  in  the  contemplation  of  his  ex- 
treme beauty  and  gigantic  proportions  ;  and,  if  there 
had  been  no  elephants,  I  could  have  exclaimed,  like 
Duke  Alexander  of  Gordon  when  he  killed  the  famous 
old  stag  with  seventeen  tine,  "  Now  I  can  die  happy." 
But  1  longed  for  an  encounter  with  the  noble  elephants, 
and  I  thought  little  more  of  the  giraffe  than  if  I  had 
killed  a  gemsbok  or  an  eland. 

In  the  afternoon  I  removed  my  wagons  to  a  correct 


2G0  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

distance  from  the  fountain,  and  drew  them  up  among 
some  bushes  about  four  hundred  yards  to  leeward  of 
the  water.  In  the  evening  I  was  employed  in  manu- 
facturing hardened  bullets  for  the  elephants,  using  a 
composition  of  one  of  pewter  to  four  of  lead ;  and  I  had 
just  completed  my  work,  when  we  heard  a  troop  of  el- 
ephants splashing  and  trumpeting  in  the  water.  This 
was  to  me  a  joyful  sound ;  I  slept  little  that  night. 

On  the  26th  I  arose  at  earliest  dawn,  and,  having 
fed  four  of  my  horses,  proceeded  with  Isaac  to  the  fount- 
ain to  examine  the  spoor  of  the  elephants  which  had 
drunk  there  during  the  night.  A  number  of  the  paths 
contained  fresh  spoor  of  elephants  of  all  sizes,  which 
had  gone  from  the  fountain  in  different  directions.  We 
reckoned  that  at  least  thirty  of  these  gigantic  quadru- 
peds had  visited  the  water  during  the  night. 

We  hastily  returned  to  camp,  where,  having  break- 
fasted, I  saddled  up,  and  proceeded  to  take  up  the  spoor 
of' the  largest  bull  elephant,  accompanied  by  after- 
riders  and  three  of  the  guides  to  assist  in  spooring.  I 
was  also  accompanied  by  my  dogs.  Having  selected 
the  spoor  of  a  mighty  bull,  the  Bechuanas  went  ahead, 
and  I  followed  them.  It  was  extremely  interesting  and 
exciting  work.  The  foot-print  of  this  elephant  was 
about  two  feet  in  diameter,  and  was  beautifully  visible 
in  the  soft  sand.  The  spoor  at  first  led  us  for  about 
three  miles  in  an  easterly  direction,  along  one  of  the 
sandy  foot-paths,  without  a  check.  We  then  entered 
a  very  thick  forest,  and  the  elephant  had  gone  a  little 
out  of  the  path  to  smash  some  trees,  and  to  plow  up  the 
earth  with  his  tusks.  He  soon,  however,  again  took 
the  path,  and  held  along  it  for  several  miles. 

We  were  on  rather  elevated  ground,  with  a  fine  view 
of  a  part  of  the  Bamangwato  chain  of  mountains  be- 


ELEPHANT    HUNTING.  261 

fore  us.  Here  the  trees  were  large  and  handsome,  but 
not  strong  enough  to  resist  the  inconceivable  strength 
of  the  mighty  monarchs  of  these  forests.  Almost  everjf 
tree  had  half  its  branches  broken  short  by  them,  and 
at  every  hundred  yards  I  came  upon  entire  trees,  and 
these  the  largest  in  the  forest,  uprooted  clean  out  of  the 
ground,  or  broken  short  across  their  stems.  I  observed 
several  large  trees  placed  in  an  inverted  position,  hav- 
ing their  roots  uppermost  in  the  air.  Our  friend  had 
here  halted,  and  fed  for  a  long  time  upon  a  large,  wide- 
spreading  tree,  which  he  had  broken  short  across  within 
a  few  feet  of  the  ground.  After  following  the  spoor 
some  distance  further  through  the  dense  mazes  of  the 
forest,  we  got  into  ground  so  thickly  trodden  by  ele- 
phants that  we  were  baffled  in  our  endeavors  to  trace 
the  spoor  any  further  ;  and  after  wastin^everal  hours 
in  attempting  by  casts  to  take  up  the  proper  spoor,  we 
gave  it  up,  and  with  a  sorrowful  heart  I  turned  my 
horse's  head  toward  camp. 

Having  reached  the  wagons,  while  drinking  my  cof 
fee  I  reviewed  the  whole  day's  work,  and  felt  much  re- 
gret at  my  want  of  luck  in  my  first  day's  elephant 
hunting,  and  I  resolved  that  night  to  watch  the  water, 
and  try  what  could  be  done  with  elephants  by  night 
shooting.  I  accordingly  ordered  the  usual  watching- 
hole  to  be  constructed,  and,  having  placed  my  bedding 
in  it,  repaired  thither  shortly  after  sundown.  I  had 
lain  about  two  hours  in  the  hole,  when  I  heard  a  low 
rumbling  noise  like  distant  thunder,  caused  (as  the 
Bechuanas  affirmed)  by  the  bowels  of  the  elephants 
which  were  approaching  the  fountain.  I  lay  or.  my 
back,  with  my  mouth  open,  attentively  listening,  and 
could  hear  them  plowing  up  the  earth  with  their  tusks. 
Presently  they  walked  up  to  the  water,  and  commenced 


262  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

drinking  within  fifty  yards  of  me.  They  approaclied 
with  so  quiet  a  step  that  I  fancied  it  was  the  footsteps 
of  jackals  which  I  heard,  and  I  was  not  aware  of  their 
presence  until  I  heard  the  water,  which  they  had  drawn 
up  in  their  trurks  and  were  pouring  into  their  mouths, 
dropping  into  the  fountain.  I  then  peeped  from  my 
sconce  with  a  beating  heart,  and  beheld  two  enormous 
bull  elephants,  which  looked  like  two  great  castles, 
standing  before  me.  I  could  not  see  very  distinctly, 
for  there  was  only  starlight.  Having  lain  on  my  breast 
some  time  taking  my  aim,  I  let  fly  at  one  of  the  ele- 
phants, using  the  Dutch  rifle  carrying  six  to  the  pound. 
The  ball  told  loudly  on  his  shoulder,  and,  uttering  a 
loud  cry,  he  stumbled  through  the  fountain,  when  both 
made  off  in  different  directions. 

All  night  l«rge  herds  of  zebras  and  blue  wildebeests 
capered  around  me,  coming  sometimes  within  a  few 
yards.  Several  parties  of  rhinoceroses  also  made  their 
appearance.  I  felt  a  little  apprehensive  that  lions  might 
visit  the  fountain,  and  every  time  that  hyaenas  or  jack- 
als lapped  the  water  I  looked  forth,  but  no  lions  ap- 
peared. At  length  I  fell  into  a  sound  sleep,  nor  did  I 
again  raise  my  head  until  the  bright  star  of  morn  had 
shot  far  above  the  eastern  horizon. 

Before  proceeding  further  with  my  narrative,  it  may 
here  be  interesting  to  make  a  few  remarks  on  the  Afri- 
can elephant  and  his  habits.  The  elephant  is  widely 
diffused  through  the  vast  forests,  and  is  met  with  in 
herds  of  various  numbers.  The  male  is  very  much 
larger  than  the  female,  consequently  much  more  diffi- 
cult to  kill.  He  is  provided  with  two  enormous  tusks. 
These  are  long,  tapering,  and  beautifully  arched  ;  their 
length  averages  from  six  to  eight  feet,  and  they  weigh 
from  sixty  to  a  hundred  pounds  each.     In  the  vicinity 


HABITS    OF    THE    ELEPHANT.  263 

of  the  equator  the  elephants  attain  to  a  greater  size 
than  to  the  southward ;  and  I  am  in  the  possession  of 
a  pair  of  tusks  of  the  African  bull  elephant,  the  larger 
of  which  measures  ten  feet  nine  inches  in  length,  and 
weighs  one  hundred  and  seventy-three  pounds.  The 
females,  unlike  Asiatic  elephants  in  this  respect,  are 
likewise  provided  with  tusks.  The  price  which  the 
largest  ivory  fetches  in  the  English  market  is  from 
d£28  to  d£32  per  hundred  and  twelve  pounds.  Old  bull 
elephants  are  found  singly  or  in  pairs,  or  consorting  to- 
gether in  small  herds,  varying  from  six  to  twenty  in- 
dividuals. The  younger  bulls  remain  for  many  years 
in  the  company  of  their  mothers,  and  these  are  met  to- 
gether in  large  herds  of  from  twenty  to  a  hundred  in- 
dividuals. The  food  of  the  elephant  consists  of  the 
branches,  leaves,  and  roots  of  trees,  and  also  of  a  variety 
of  bulbs,  of  the  situation  of  which  he  is  advised  by  his 
exquisite  sense  of  smell.  To  obtain  these  he  turns  up 
the  ground  with  his  tusks,  and  whole  acres  may  be 
seen  thus  plowed  up.  Elephants  consume  an  immense 
quantity  of  food,  and  pass  the  greater  part  of  the  day 
and  night  in  feeding.  Like  the  whale  in  the  ocean,  the 
elephant  on  land  is  acquainted  with,  and  roams  over, 
wide  and  extensive  tracts.  He  is  extremely  particular 
in  always  frequenting  the  freshest  and  most  verdant 
districts  of  the  forest ;  and  when  one  district  is  parched 
and  barren,  he  will  forsake  it  for  years,  and  wander  to 
great  distances  in  quest  of  better  pasture. 

The  elephant  entertains  an  extraordinary  horror  cf 
man,  and  a  child  can  put  a  hundred  of  them  to  flight 
by  passing  at  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  windward  ;  and 
when  thus  disturbed,  they  go  a  long  way  before  they 
halt.  It  is  surprising  how  soon  these  sagacious  animals 
are  aware  of  the  presence  of  a  hunter  in  their  domains. 


264  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

When  one  troop  has  been  attacked,  all  the  other  ele- 
phants frequenting  the  district  are  aware  of  the  fact 
within  two  or  three  days,  when  they  all  forsake  it,  and 
migrate  to  distant  parts,  leaving  the  hunter  no  alterna- 
tive but  to  inspan  his  wagons,  and  remove  to  fresh 
ground.  This  constitutes  one  of  the  greatest  difficul- 
ties which  a  skillful  elephant-hunter  encounters.  Even 
in  the  most  remote  parts,  which  may  be  reckoned  the 
head-quarters  of  the  elephant,  it  is  only  occasionally, 
and  with  inconceivable  toil  and  hardship,  that  the  eye 
of  the  hunter  is  cheered  by  the  sight  of  one.  Owing 
to  habits  peculiar  to  himself,  the  elephant  is  more  in- 
accessible, and  much  more  rarely  seen,  than  any  other 
game  quadruped,  excepting  certain  rare  antelopes. 
They  choose  for  their  resort  the  most  lonely  and  se- 
cluded depths  of  the  forest,  generally  at  a  very  great 
distance  from  the  rivers  and  fountains  at  which  they 
drink.  In  dry  and  warm  weather  they  visit  these 
waters  nightly,  but  in  cool  and  cloudy  weather  they 
Irink  only  once  every  third  or  fourth  day.  About  sun- 
down the  elephant  leaves  his  distant  mid-day  haunt, 
and  commences  his  march  toward  the  fountain,  which 
is  probably  from  twelve  to  twenty  miles  distant.  This 
he  generally  reaches  between  the  hours  of  nine  and 
midnight,  when,  having  slaked  his  thirst  and  cooled 
his  body  by  spouting  large  volumes  of  water  over  his 
back  with  his  trunk,  ho  resumes  the  path  to  his  forest 
solitudes.  Having  reached  a  secluded  spot,  I  have  re- 
marked that  full-grown  bulls  lie  down  on  their  broad- 
sides, about  the  hour  of  midnight,  and  sleep  for  a  few 
hours.  The  spot  which  they  usually  select  is  an  ant- 
hill, and  they  lie  around  it  with  their  backs  resting 
against  it;  these  hills,  formed  by  the  white  ants,  are 
from  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  diameter  at  their  base.    Tho 


HABITS    OF    THE    ELEPHANT.  265 

mark  of  the  undei*  tusk  is  always  deeply  imprinted  in 
the  ground,  proving  that  they  lie  upon  their  sides.  I 
never  remarked  that  females  had  thus  lain  down,  and 
it  is  only  in  the  more  secluded  districts  that  the  bulls 
adopt  this  practice  ;  for  I  observed  that,  in  districts 
where  the  elephants  were  liable  to  frequent  disturb- 
ance,  they  took  repose  standing  on  their  legs  beneath 
some  shady  tree.  Having  slept,  they  then  proceed  to 
feed  extensively.  Spreading  out  from  one  another,  and 
proceeding  in  a  zigzag  course,  they  smash  and  destroy 
all  the  finest  trees  in  the  forest  which  happen  to  lie  in 
their  course.  The  number  of  goodly  trees  which  a  herd 
of  bull  elephants  will  thus  destroy  is  utterly  incredible. 
They  are  extremely  capricious,  and  on  coming  to  a 
group  of  five  or  six  trees,  they  break  down  not  unfre- 
tjuently  the  whole  of  them,  when,  having  perhaps  only 
tasted  one  or  two  small  branches,  they  pass  on  and 
continue  their  wanton  work  of  destruction.  I  have  re- 
peatedly ridden  through,  forests  Avhere  the  trees  thus 
broken  lay  so  thick  across  one  another  that  it  was  al- 
most impossible  to  ride  through  the  district,  and  it  is 
in  situations  such  as  these  that  attacking  the  elephant 
is  attended  with  most  danger.  During  the  night  they 
will  feed  in  open  plains  and  thinly-wooded  districts,  but 
as  day  dawns  they  retire  to  the  densest  covers  within 
reach,  which  nine  times  in  ten  are  composed  of  the  im- 
practicable wait-a-bit  thorns,  and  here  they  remain 
drawn  up  in  a  compact  herd  during  the  heat  of  the 
day.  In  remote  districts,  however,  and  in  cool  weather, 
I  have  known  herds  to  continue  pasturing  throughout 
the  whole  day. 

The  appearance  of  the  wild  elephant  is  inconc^i-ibly 
majestic  and  imposing.  His  gigantic  height  and  co- 
lossal bulk,  so  greatly  surpassing  all  other  quadrupeds. 

Vq;..  I._M 


26b  ADVEXTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

combined  with  his  sagacious  disposition  and  peculiar 
habits,  impart  to  him  an  interest  in  the  eyes  of  the 
hunter  which  no  other  animal  can  call  forth.  The 
pace  of  the  elephant,  when  undisturbed,  is  a  bold,  free, 
sweeping  step  ;  and  from  the  peculiar  spongy  formation 
of  his  foot,  his  tread  is  extremely  light  and  inaudible, 
and  all  his  movements  are  attended  with  a  peculiar 
gentleness  and  grace.  This,  however,  ony  applies  to 
the  elephant  when  roaming  undisturbed  in  his  jungle  ; 
for,  when  roused  by  the  hunter,  he  proves  the  most  dan- 
gerous enemy,  and  far  more  difficult  to  conquer  than 
any  other  beast  of  the  chase. 

On  the  27th,  as  day  dawned,  I  left  my  shooting, 
hole,  and  proceeded  to  inspect  the  spoor  of  my  wound- 
ed, elephant.  After  following  it  for  some  distance  I 
came  to  an  abrupt  hillock,  and  fancying  that  from  tho 
summit  a  good  view  might  be  obtained  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  I  left  my  followers  to  seek  the  spoor 
while  I  ascended.  I  did  not  raise  my  eyes  from  the 
ground  until  I  had  reached  the  highest  pinnacle  of  rock. 
I  then  looked  east,  and,  to  my  inexpressible  gratifica- 
tion, beheld  a  troop  of  nine  or  ten  elephants  quietly 
browsing  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  me.  I  allowed 
myself  only  one  glance  at  them,  and  then  rushed  down 
to  warn  my  followers  to  be  silent.  A  council  of  war 
was  hastily  held,  the  result  of  which  was  my  ordering 
Isaac  to  ride  hard  to  camp,  with  instructions  to  return 
as  quickly  as  possible,  accompanied  by  Kleinboy,  and 
to  bring  me  my  dogs,  the  large  Dutch  rifle,  and  a  fresh 
horse.  I  once  more  ascended  the  hillock  to  feast  my 
eyes  upon  the  enchanting  sight  before  me,  and,  drawing 
out  my  spy-glass,  narrowly  watched  the  motions  of  the 
elephants.  The  herd  consisted  entirely  of  females,  sev- 
eral of  which  were  followed  by  small  calves. 


HERDS    OF   ELEPHANTS.  267 

Presently,  on  reconnoitering  the  surrounding  coun- 
try, I  discovered  a  second  herd,  consisting  of  five  bull 
elephants,  which  were  quietly  feeding  about  a  mile  to 
the  northward.  The  cows  were  feeding  toward  a 
rocky  ridge  that  stretched  away  from  the  base  of  the 
hillock  on  which  I  stood.  Burning  with  impatience  to 
commence  the  attack,  I  resolved  to  try  the  stalking  sys- 
tem with  these,  and  to  hunt  the  troop  of  bulls  with 
dogs  and  horses.  Having  thus  decided,  I  directed  the 
guides  to  watch  the  elephants  from  the  summit  of  the 
hillock,  and  with  a  beating  heart  1  approached  them. 
The  ground  and  wind  favoring  me,  I  soon  gained  the 
rocky  ridge  toward  which  they  were  feeding.  They 
were  now  within  one  hundred  yards,  and  1  resolved  to 
enjoy  the  pleasure  of  watching  their  movements  for  a 
little  before  I  fired.  They  continued  to  feed  slowly 
toward  me,  breaking  the  branches  from  the  trees  with 
their  trunks,  and  eating  the  leaves  and  tender  shoots. 
I  soon  selected  the  finest  in  the  herd,  and  kept  my  eye 
on  her  in  particular.  At  length  two  of  the  troop  had 
walked  slowly  past  at  about  sixty  yards,  and  the  one 
which  I  had  selected  was  feeding  with  two  others,  on 
a  thorny  tree  before  me. 

My  hand  was  now  as  steady  as  the  rock  on  which  it 
rested  ;  so,  taking  a  deliberate  aim,  I  let  fly  at  her  head 
a  little  behind  the  eye.  She  get  it  hard  and  sharp,  just 
where  I  aimed,  but  it  did  not  seem  to  affect  her  much. 
Uttering  a  loud  cry,  she  wheeled  about,  when  I  gave 
her  the  second  ball  close  behind  the  shoulder.  All 
the  elephants  uttered  a  strange  rumbling  noise,  and 
made  off  in  a  line  to  the  northward  at  a  brisk  am 
biing  pace,  their  huge,  fan-like  ears  flapping  in  the 
ratio  of  their  speed.  I  did  not  wait  to  load,  but  ran 
back  to  the  hillock  to  obtain  a  view.     On  gaining  its 


268  ADVENTURES    IN   SOUTH    AFRICA. 

summit,  the  guides  pointed  out  the  elephants  ;  they 
were  standing  in  a  grove  of  shady  trees,  but  the 
wounded  one  was  some  distance  behind  with  another 
elephant,  doubtless  its  particular  friend,  who  was  en- 
deavoring to  assist  it.  These  elephants  had  probably 
never  before  heard  the  report  of  a  gun,  and,  having 
neither  seen  nor  smelt  me,  they  were  unaware  of  the 
presence  of  man,  and  did  not  seem  inclined  to  go  any 
further.  Presently  my  men  hove  in  sight,  bringing 
the  dogs  ;  and  when  these  came  up,  I  waited  some 
time  before  commencing  the  attack,  that  the  dogs  and 
horses  might  recover  their  wind.  We  then  rode  slow- 
ly toward  the  elephants,  and  had  advanced  within  two 
hundred  yards  of  them  when,  the  ground  being  open, 
they  observed  us,  and  made  off  in  an  easterly  direction ; 
but  the  wounded  one  immediately  dropped  astern,  and 
the  next  moment  was  surrounded  by  the  dogs,  which, 
barking  angrily,  seemed  to  engross  her  attention. 

Having  placed  myself  between  her  and  the  retreat- 
ing troop,  I  dismounted  to  fire  within  forty  yards  of 
her,  in  open  ground.  Colesberg  was  extremely  afraid 
of  the  elephants,  and  gave  me  much  trouble,  jerking 
my  arm  when  I  tried  to  fire.  At  length  I  let  fly ;  but, 
on  endeavoring  to  regain  my  saddle,  Colesberg  declined 
to  allow  me  to  mount ;  and  when  I  tried  to  lead  him, 
and  run  for  it,  he  only  backed  toward  the  wounded  ele- 
phant. At  this  moment  I  heard  another  elephant  close 
behind ;  and  on  looking  about,  I  beheld  the  "  friend," 
with  uplifted  trunk,  charging  down  upon  me  at  top 
speed,  shrilly  trumpeting,  and  following  an  old  black 
pointer  named  Schwart,  that  was  perfectly  deaf,  and 
trotted  along  before  the  enraged  elephant  quite  unaware 
of  what  was  behind  him.  I  felt  certain  that  she  would 
have  either  me  or  my  horse.     I,  however,  determined 


A    PERILOUS    ENCOUNTER.  269 

not  to  relinquish  my  steed,  but  to  hold  on  by  the  bri- 
dle. My  men,  who  of  course  kept  at  a  safe  distance, 
stood  aghast  with  their  mouths  open,  and  for  a  few  sec- 
onds my  position  was  certainly  not  an  enviable  one. 
Fortunately,  however,  the  dogs  took  off  the  attention 
of  the  elephants ;  and  just  as  they  were  upon  me,  I 
managed  to  spring  into  the  saddle,  where  I  was  safe. 
As  I  turned  my  back  to  mount,  the  elephants  were  so 
very  near  that  I  really  expected  to  feel  one  of  their 
trunks  lay  hold  of  me.  I  rode  up  to  Kleinboy  for  my 
double-barreled  two-grooved  rifle :  he  and  Isaac  were 
pale  and  almost  speechless  with  fright.  Returning  to 
the  charge,  I  was  soon  once  more  alongside,  and,  firing 
from  the  saddle,  I  sent  another  brace  of  bullets  into  the 
wounded  elephant.  Colesberg  was  extremely  unsteady, 
and  destroyed  the  correctness  of  my  aim. 

The  friend  now  seemed  resolved  to  do  some  mischief, 
and  charged  me  furiously,  pursuing  me  to  a  distance 
of  several  hundred  yards.  I  therefore  deemed  it  proper 
to  give  her  a  gentle  hint  to  act  less  officiously,  and,  ac- 
cordingly, having  loaded,  I  approached  within  thirty 
yards,  and  gave  it  her  sharp,  right  and  left,  behind  the 
shoulder,  upon  which  she  at  once  made  off  with  droop- 
ing trunk,  evidently  with  a  mortal  wound.  I  never  re- 
cur to  this  my  first  day's  elephant  shooting  without  re- 
gretting my  folly  in  contenting  myself  with  securing 
only  one  elephant.  The  first  was  now  dying,  and  could 
not  leave  the  ground,  and  the  second  was  also  mortal- 
ly wounded,  and  I  had  only  to  follow  and  finish  her; 
but  I  foolishly  allowed  her  to  escape,  while  I  amused 
myself  with  the  first,  which  kept  walking  backward, 
and  standing  by  every  tree  she  passed.  Two  more 
shots  finished  her :  on  receiving  them,  she  tossed  her 
trunk  up  and  down  two  or  three  times,  and,  falling  on 


270  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

her  broadside  against  a  thorny  tree,  which  yielded  like 
grass  before  her  enormous  weight,  she  uttered  a  deep 
hoarse  cry  and  expired,  -  This  was  a  very  handsome 
old  cow  elephant,  and  was  decidedly  the  best  in  the 
troop.  She  was  in  excellent  condition,  and  carried  a 
pair  of  long  and  perfect  tusks.  1  was  in  high  spirits  at 
my  success,  and  felt  so  perfectjy  satisfied  with  having 
killed  one,  that,  although  it  was  still  early  in  the  day, 
and  my  horses  were  fresh,  I  allovv^ed  the  troop  of  five 
bulls  to  remain  unmolested,  foolishly  trusting  to  fall  in 
with  them  next  day.  How  little  did  I  then  know  of 
the  habits  of  elephants,  or  the  rules  to  be  adopted  in 
hunting  them,  or  deem  it  probable  I  should  never  see 
them  more! 

Having  knee-haltered  our  horses,  we  set  to  work  with 
our  knives  and  assagais  to  prepare  the  skull  for  the 
hatchet,  in  order  to  cut  out  the  tusks,  nearly  half  the 
length  of  which,  I  may  mention,  is  imbedded  in  bone 
sockets  in  the  fore  part  of  the  skull.  To  cut  out  the 
tusks  of  a  cow  elephant  requires  barely  one  fifth  of  the 
labor  requisite  to  cut  out  those  of  a  bull;  and  when  the 
sun  w^ent  down,  we  had  managed  by  our  combined  ef- 
forts to  cut  out  one  of  the  tusks  of  my  first  elephant, 
with  which  we  triumphantly  returned  to  camp,  hav- 
ing left  the  guides  in  charge  of  the  carcass,  where  they 
volunteered  to  take  up  their  quarters  for  the  night. 
On  reaching  my  wagons  I  found  Johannus  and  Carol- 
lus  in  a  happy  state  of  indifference  to  all  passing 
events:  they  were  both  very  drunk,  having  broken  into 
my  wine-cask  and  spirit-case. 

On  the  28th  I  arose  at  an  eariy  hour,  and,  burning 
with  anxiety  to  look  forth  once  more  from  the  summit 
of  the  hillock  which  the  day  before  brought  me  such 
luck,  I  made  a  hasty  breakfast,  and  rode  thither  with 


MARCH    TO    THE    KRAAL    OF    SICOMY.  271 

after-riders  and  my  aogs.  But,  alas!  I  had  allowed  the 
golden  opportunity  to  slip.  This  day  I  sought  in  vain; 
and  although  I  often  again  ascended  to  the  summit  of 
my  favorite  hillock  on  that  and  on  the  succeeding  year, 
my  eyes  were  destined  never  again  to  hail  from  it  a 
troop  of  elephants. 

Early  on  the  following  morning  I  proceeded  to  in- 
spect the  sandy  foot-paths  leading  from  the  fountain, 
and  at  once  discovered  the  spoor  of  two  mighty  bull  el- 
ephants that  had  drunk  there  during  the  night.  These 
I  followed,  but  did  not  succeed  in  coming  up  with  the 
objects  of  my  search. 

We  were  now  within  two  days'  march  of  the  kraal 
of  the  great  chief  Sicoray,  king  of  the  extensive  terri- 
tory of  Bamangwato.  This  chief  was  reported  to  be 
in  the  possession  of  large  quantities  of  ivory  ;  and  as  I 
had  brought  a  number  of  muskets  and  other  articles 
for  barter,  I  was  anxious  to  push  on  and  first  get  over 
my  trading  before  resuming  elephant  hunting,  more 
especially  since  it  was  not  improbable  that,  having 
once  led  the  way,  other  adventurers  might  follow  in  my 
track,  and  perhaps  spoil  my  market.  Taking  this  into 
consideration,  I  deemed  it  proper,  on  the  morning  of 
the  30th,  to  march  upon  the  kraal  of  Sicomy  ;  and,  ac- 
cordingly, about  10  A.M.  we  inspanned,  and  held  for 
the  Bamangwato  mountains,  whose  summits  we  could 
see  peering  above  the  intervening  forest  in  an  easterly 
direction.  On  our  march  we  passed  near  to  the  car- 
cass of  the  elephant  which  I  had  slain  three  days  be- 
fore. The  number  of  vultures  which  were  here  con- 
gregated was  truly  wonderful.  My  guides  had  baked 
a  part  of  the  trunk  and  two  of  the  feet  of  the  elephant, 
and  these  they  now  brought  to  the  wagons.* 

*  It  was  ever  to  me  a  source  of  great  pleasare  to  reflect  tint,  while 


272  AI   'ENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

On  the  following  morning,  which  w^as  the  1st  of  July 
wo  inspanned  at  dawn  of  day,  and  late  in  the  after 
noon  we  reached  Lesausau,  having  performed  an  ex- 
tremely arduous  and  fatiguing  march.  Our  ruute  dur- 
ing the  greater  part  of  the  day  lay  through  dense  jun- 
gle and  thorny  thickets,  where  it  was  necessary  to  clear 
a  way  with  our  axes  before  the  wagons  could  pass. 
The  ground  also  w^as  in  many  places  extremely  rocky, 
and  threatened  the  destruction  of  my  wheels  and  axle- 
trees,  causing  us  much  labor,  it  being  indispensable  to 
remove  the  masses  of  rock  to  one  side.  As  w^e  neared 
Lesausau,  we  entered  upon  a  broad  level  strath,  adorned 
throughout  its  length  and  breadth  with  a  variety  of  pic- 
turesque acacia  and  other  trees,  which  stood  at  intervals 
as  if  they  had  been  planted  by  the  hand  of  man.  On 
either  side,  the  mountains  rose  abruptly /rom  the  plain, 
and  they  now  assumed  a  very  bold  and  striking  appear- 
ance, their  sides  and  summits  consisting  of  huge  masses 
of  rock  piled  one  above  another,  some  of  which  seemed 
so  balanced  upon  their  exalted  and  narrow  pedestals, 

"  As  if  an  infant's  touch  could  urge 
Their  headlong  passage  down  tlie  verge." 

A  hght  and  feathery  fringe  of  dwarfish  trees  and  va- 
rieties of  gigantic  cacti  adorned  the  sides  and  upper 

enriching  myself  in  following  my  favorite  pursuit  of  elephant  hunting, 
I  was  feeding  and  making  happy  the  starving  families  of  hundreds  of 
the  Bechuana  and  Bakalahari  tribes,  who  invariably  followed  my  wag 
ens,  and  assisted  me  in  my  hunting,  in  numbers  varying  from  fifty  to 
two  hundred  at  a  time.  These  men  were  often  accompanied  by  their 
wives  and  families,  and  when  an  elephant,  hippopotamus,  or  other  large 
animal  was  slain,  all  hands  repaired  to  the  spot,  when  every  inch  of  the 
animal  was  reduced  to  biltongue,  viz.,  cut  into  long  narrow  strips,  and 
hung  in  festoons  upon  poles,  and  dried  in  the  sun:  even  the  entrails 
were  not  left  for  the  vultures  and  hyamas,  and  the  very  bones  were 
chopped  to  pieces  with  their  hatchets  to  obtain  the  marrow,  with  which 
they  enriched  their  soup. 


BAIMANGWATO    AVARRIORS.  27o 

ridges  of  these  rugged  mountains,  and,  as  v,''e  proceed- 
ed, I  observed  finely-wooded  wild  ravines  stretching 
away  into  the  bosom  of  the  mountains. 

Here  we  were  joined  by  three  of  Sicomy's  men,  who 
informed  us  that  they  were  in  daily  apprehension  of  an 
attack  from  the  Matabili,  who  they  heard  were  march- 
ing against  tliem.  In  consequence  of  this,  Sicomy  and 
all  his  tribe  had  forsaken  their  kraals,  and  were  now  liv- 
ing in  wild  caves  and  other  secluded  retreats  in  the  sides 
and  on  the  summits  of  these  rocky  mountains.  They 
led  us  round  the  base  of  a  bold  projecting  rock,  and  then 
up  a  wild  and  well-wooded  rocky  ravine,  bearing  no 
traces  of  men.  On  raising  our  eyes,  however,  we  per- 
ceived the  summits  of  the  rocks  covered  with  women 
and  children,  and  very  soon  detached  parties  of  Sicomy's 
warriors  came  pouring  in  from  different  directions,  to 
gaze  upon  the  white  man,  I  being  the  first  that  many 
of  them  had  seen.  These  men  were  all  armed  and 
ready  for  action,  each  bearing  an  oval  shield  of  ox,  buf- 
falo, or  camelopard's  hide,  a  battle-ax,  and  three  or  four 
assagais.  They  wore  karosses  of  jackal's  and  leopard's 
skins,  which  depended  gracefully  from  their  shoulders ; 
and  many  of  them  sported  a  round  tuft  of  black  ostrich* 
feathers  on  their  heads,  while  others  had  adorned  their 
woolly  hair  with  one  or  two  wavy  plumes  of  white 
ones.  Both  men  and  women  wore  abundance  of  the 
usual  ornaments  of  beads  and  brass  and  copper  wire. 

"We  were  presently  met  by  a  messenger  from  Sico- 
my, saying  that  the  king  was  iiappy  we  had  arrived, 
and  that  he  would  shortly  come  to  see  me.  We  pro- 
ceeded up  the  bold  and  narrow  ravine  of  Lesausau  as 
far  as  it  was  practicable,  the  water  being  situated  at 
its  upper  extremity.  Soon  after  we  had  encamped 
Sicomy  drew  nigh,  accompanied  by  a  largn  rdinuc  of 
M  2 


874  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

his  principal  men  and  warriors.  He  appeared  to  me  to 
be  about  thirty  years  of  age,  and  was  of  middle  stature. 
His  distinguishing  feature  is  a  wall-eye,  which  imparts 
to  his  countenance  a  roguish  look  that  does  not  belie 
the  cunning  and  deceitful  character  of  the  man.  As 
he  came  up  to  the  wagons  I  met  and  shoolc  hands  with 
him,  and  invited  him  to  partake  of  coffee  with  me.  I 
could  see  that  he  was  enchanted  at  my  arrival.  He 
talked  at  a  very  rapid  pace,  and  assumed  an  abrupt  and 
rather  dictatorial  manner,  occasionally  turning  round 
and  cracking  jokes  with  his  counselors  and  nobility. 
He  was  very  anxious  to  ascertain  from  Isaac  the  con- 
tents of  the  wagons,  and  said  that  he  would  buy  every 
thing  I  had  brought,  and  that  he  would  give  me  a  large 
bull  elephant's  tusk  for  each  of  my  muskets. 

This  was  a  fishing  remark  to  hear  what  I  should  say; 
so  I  replied  that  the  muskets  cost  many  teeth  in  my 
own  country,  and  that  I  had  not  stolen  them.  I  had 
resolved  to  niaintain  a  firm  and  independent  manner  in 
my  dealings  with  him,  treating  him,  at  the  same  time, 
with  the  utmost  affability.  I  told  him  that  other  men 
feared  to  come  so  far  to  trade  with  him,  but  that  his 
friend  Dr.  Livingstone  had  directed  me  to  come,  and 
had  sent  him  a  present  by  me.  I  then  gave  him  Dr. 
Livingstone's  present,  with  a  similar  one  from  myself, 
consisting  of  beads,  snuiT,  and  ammunition.  It  amus- 
ed me  to  observe  the  timid  and  cringing  demeanor  of 
the  men  of  Booby  when  seated  in  the  presence  of  the 
king.  Approaching  him  with  the  utmost  humility, 
they  saluted  him  by  stretching  out  their  hands  and 
clapping  the  palms  together,  saying  at  the  same  time 
"  Rumela,  cosi,"  signifying  Hail,  king!  which  his  maj- 
esty was  graciously  pleased  to  acknowledge  by  squint- 
ing at  them  with  his  cock-eve.  and  saving  "  Eh,*'  which 


INTERVIEW    WITH    SICOMY.  275 

,s  the  invariable  Bechuana  acknowledgment  of  a  salu- 
tation.  Often,  however,  when  I  saluted  the  natives, 
they  acknowledged  my  salutation  by  saying  "  Eh ! 
keitumela,  cosi  a  Machoa;"  signifying  "Eh!  thank 
you,  king  of  the  white  men."  Having  saluted  the  king, 
the  Booby  men  at  once  proceeded  to  expatiate  upon  the 
difficulty  they  had  had  in  prevailing  upon  the  great 
white  man  to  visit  his  dominions,  and  the  meritorious 
manner  in  which  they  had  conducted  me  thither;  for 
which  the  king  expressed  his  gratitude,  and  ordered 
"  boyalwa,"  or  native  beer,  to  be  placed  before  them. 
Sicomy  remained  long  at  the  wagons,  engaged  in  deep 
and  constant  conversation  with  my  interpreter  and  sev- 
eral of  his  elder  counselors,  and  at  a  late  hour  he  de- 
parted, promising  to  visit  us  early  on  the  following  day. 
Fearing  that  any  of  his  people  might  come  and  trade 
with  me  during  his  absence,  the  king  instructed  his 
uncle  Mutchuisho,  with  a  retinue,  to  remain  beside  the 
wagons  during  the  night. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morning  the  king 
made  his  appearance,  attended  by  a  number  of  his  war- 
riors, all  carrying  their  battle  gear.  I  was  still  in 
bed,  and,  seeing  the  king  peeping  into  my  wagon,  I 
pretended  to  be  asleep.  Presently  I  observed  a  sav- 
age coming  up  the  glen  bearing  on  his  shoulders  a 
bull  'elephant's  tooth,  which  he  laid  under  the  wagon. 
Coffee  was  now  announced,  so  I  arose,  and  the  king 
breakfasted  with  me.  I  had  resolved  to  say  as  little  as 
possible  about  the  trading,  and  to  appear  Very  indiffer- 
ent, a  system  indispensable  in  trading  with  the  natives, 
which  at  all  times  progresses  slowly,  but  much  more 
so  if  the  trader  allows  them  to  imagine  that  he  is  very 
anxious  to  obtain  possession  of  their  goods.* 

*  In  trading  with  the  Bechiiauas,  the  most  .iifficuU  point  is  agreeing 


276  ADVENTURES    .7X    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

While  Sicomy  was  taking  his  coffee,  he  told  me  that 
he  had  dispatched  men  to  bring  elephants'  teeth,  which 
he  said.were  at  a  distance,  and  that  ho  would  purchase 
every  thing  as  quickly  as  possible,  that  I  might  be  en- 
abled to  leave  the  country  before  the  Matabili  should 
come.  This  rumor  about  the  Matabili  I  at  the  time 
suspected  to  be  a  fabrication,  but  I  subsequently  as- 
certained that  it  was  a  fact. 

In  the  forenoon  I  occupied  myself  in  writing  my  jour- 
nal in  my  wagon,  and  I  could  see  that  the  king  was  an- 
noyed at  ray  indifference  about  the  trading.  At  length 
he  asked  me  to  come  out  of  the  wagon,  saying  that  he 
had  got  a  present  for  me,  and  he  brought  forward  the 
elephant's  tusk  which  lay  beneath  the  wagon.  Hav- 
ing thanked  him,  I  expressed  myself  satisfied  with  his 
present,  and,  in  return,  immediately  presented  him  with 
what  he  reckoned  an  equivalent  in  beads.  He  asked 
me  the  price  of  my  muskets,  and  I  answered  four  large 
bull's  teeth  for  each.  He  then  retired  to  an  adjacent 
grove  of  shady  trees,  where  he  sat  consulting  with  his 
men  for  hours.  Two  men  at  length  appeared,  coming 
from  opposite  directions,  each  bearing  a  bull's  tooth. 
When  these  arrived,  Sicomy  ordered  them  to  be  placed 
before  me,  and,  calling  Isaac,  he  inflicted  on  me  a  long 

about  the  price  of  any  article  in  the  first  instance ;  and  often,  wlien  ti'ad 
ing  has  once  commeuced,  and  the  natives  are  satisfied  with  tlie- price, 
exchanges  are  effected  rapidly.  It  is  generally  necessary  for  the  trader 
to  ask  a  little  more  than  he  expects  to  get,  that  he  may  appear  to  yield 
to  their  importunity,  otherwise  they  would  not  deal  with  him.  They 
never  conclude  a  bargain  in  a  hurry,  and  always  deem  it  necessary  to 
ask  the  advice  of  nearly  every  one  present  before  they  can  make  up 
their  minds;  and  if  it  should  happen  that  any  one  individual  present 
disapprove  of  the  bargain,  the  exchange  is  for  the  time  at  an  end. 

I  have  more  than  once  been  prevented  from  effecting  a  sale,  which  I 
had  all  but  concluded,  by  some  old  wife,  who  happened  to  be  passing 
at  the  moment,  exclaiming  that  I  was  too  high  in  my  prices,  although 
she  was  perfectly  ignorant  of  our  transaction. 


A    TOUGH    CUSTOMER.  277 

harangue,  talking  all  manner  of  nonsense,  and  endeav- 
oring to  obtain  a  nnusket  for  these  two  teeth.  At 
length  a  third  tusk  was  brought,  but  it  was  a  small 
one.  It  was  now  late  in  the  afternoon,  so  I  told  the 
king  that  I  was  going  to  take  a  walk  in  the  mountains 
to  obtain  a  view  of  his  country.  He  said  that  he  was 
going  to  buy  one  of  the  muskets  immediately,  and  re- 
quested that  I  would  not  leave  the  wagons.  After  sit- 
ting talking  with  his  men  till  it  was  near  sunset,  he 
once  more  offered  me  two  tusks  for  a  gun.  I  replied 
that  I  had  already  spoken.  He  then  said  he  was  going 
home,  and  that  he  did  not  know  if  he  would  come  again 
to  trade  with  me.  If  the  king  had  indeed  resolved  not 
to  trade  with  me,  no  request  on  my  part  would  have 
altered  the  case.  So  I  replied  that  I  had  never  asked 
him  to  purchase  any  thing,  and  was  perfectly  indiffer- 
ent whether  he  did  or  not;  that  there  were  othei  t^hiefs 
who  were  anxious  to  purchase  my  goods,  and  that  my 
reason  for  visiting  his  territory  was  to  enjoy  the  sport 
of  elephant  hunting.  Having  thus  spoken,  I  wished 
him  good  evening,  and,  shouldering  my  rifle,  stalked 
up  the  rocky  ravine  and  shot  two  baboons. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  following  morning  Sicomy 
was  at  the  wagons,  and,  having  breakfasted,  he  com- 
menced as  on  the  previous  day  to  endeavor  to  purchase 
a  gun  with  two  tusks.  At  length  I  said  that  he  should 
have  one  for  three  tusks,  provided  they  were  large 
After  a  protracted  discussion,  the  third  tusk  was  pro- 
duced, when  I  handed  him  a  musket.  He  next  bother- 
ed for  a  bullet-mold,  which  I  also  gave  him  into  the  bar- 
gain. Havinsr  obtained  the  mold,  he  insisted  on  hav- 
ing  a  lead-ladle.  That  I  said  I  could  not  give  him  with 
one  gun ;  but  promised  if  he  dealt  liberally  with  me  he 
should  have  one      He  continued  his  importunity  about 


278  VDVENTURES    IN    SOUTH     \FRICA. 

the  ladle  til!  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  he  began  to 
talk  about  buying  a  second  gun.  Three  tusks  were 
brought,  and  we  had  nearly  concluded  a  bargain,  when 
■eome  of  his  counselors  told  him  that  he  ought  to  have 
received  powder  and  bullets  along  with  the  first  gun. 
He  commenced  to  pester  me  on  this  subject ;  but  I 
stoutly  resisted,  and  told  him  the  bargain  was  conclud- 
ed. He,  however,  continued  to  harp  on  this  string  till 
a  late  hour,  w^hen  I  told  him,  as  I  had  done  the  preced- 
ing day,  that  I  must  now  take  a  walk ;  and  I  remarked 
that,  if  he  thought  he  had  given  too  much  for  my  gun, 
he  had  better  return  it,  and  take  away  his  tusks.  Hav- 
ing consulted  a  short  time  with  his  wise  men,  he  re- 
turned the  gun,  and  resumed  possession  of  his  tusks. 
I  then  shouldered  my  rifle,  and  held  for  the  wells,  to 
give  the  dogs  water. 

These  wells  were  situated  at  a  great  distance  from 
my  camp,  and  yielded  a  very  moderate  supply  of  water. 
Here  I  met  with  large  parties  of  the  Bamangwato 
women  drawing  water,  which  they  bore  in  earthen  ves- 
sels balanced  on  their  heads  to  their  elevated  retreats 
in  the  mountains.  The  pits  where  my  oxen  drank 
were  very  distant  from  the  camp,  and  were  reported 
not  to  yield  a  sufficient  supply  oi"  water,  the  conse- 
quence of  which  was  that  my  horses  and  oxen  had  al- 
ready greatly  fallen  off"  in  condition.  In  this  state  of 
things,  I  resolved  that  my  stay  at  Bamangwato  should 
not  exceed  another  day,  and  I  determined,  if  possible, 
to  come  to  terms  with  Sicomy  on  the  following  morn- 
ing. On  returning  to  the  wagons,  Carollus  came  up  to 
me  and  reported  half  the  oxen  missing.  This  threw 
me  into  a  state  of  great  alarm.  I  at  once  suspected 
treachery,  and  I  well  knew  that  if  Sicomy  had  taken 
them  they  would  not  easily  be  recovered.     I  instantly 


DILATORY    MODE    OF    TRADING.  279 

dispatched  two  mounted  men  in  different  directions, 
with  instructions  to  ride  hard  and  seek  the  spoor,  and 
these  returned  at  a  late  hour,  having  found  them. 

On  reviewing  my  trading,  I  could  not  help  feeling 
annoyed  at  the  dilatory  mode  in  which  it  progressed. 
I  had  now  spent  two  entire  days  endeavoring  to  trade, 
yet  no  exchanges  had  been  effected.  For  this,  how- 
ever, there  was  no  help.  I  could  not  have  acted  other- 
wise, and  on  the  following  day  I  reaped  the  benefit  of 
my  unyielding  resolution. 

Althougli  I  voted  the  trading  an  intense  bore,  it  was 
nevertheless  well  worth  a  little  time  and  inconvenience, 
on  account  of  the  enormous  profit  I  should  realize.  The 
price  I  had  paid  for  the  muskets  was  ^16  for  each  case 
containing  twenty  muskets,  and  the  value  of  the  ivory 
I  required  for  each  musket  was  upward  of  £30,  being 
about  3000  per  cent.,  which  I  am  informed  is  reckoned 
among  mercantile  men  to  be  a  very  fair  profit.  Sicomy 
was  in  those  days  in  the  possession  of  very  large  quan- 
tities of  splendid  ivory,  and  still  considerable  quantities 
pass  annually  through  his  hands.  Since  I  first  visited 
Bamangwato,  and  taught  the  natives  the  use  of  fire- 
arms, they  have  learned  to  kill  the  elephant  themselves; 
but  previous  to  my  arrival  they  were  utterly  incapable 
of  subduing  a  full-grown  elephant,  even  by  the  united 
exertions  of  the  whole  tribe.  All  the  ivory  which  Sico- 
my then  possessed,  and  the  majority  of  that  which  still 
passes  through  his  hands,  is  obtained  from  elephants 
slain  with  assagais  by  an  active  and  daring  race  of 
Bushmen  inhabiting  very  remote  regions  to  the  north- 
^vard  and  northwest  of  Bamangwato. 

The  manner  in  which  Sicomy  obtained  this  ivory  was 
by  sending  a  party  of  his  warriors  to  the  Bushman, 
who  first  obtained  the  tusks  in  barter  for  a  few  beads, 


280  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

and  then  compelled  some  of  the  poor  Bakalahari,  or 
wild  natives  of  the  desert,  over  whomx  Sicomy  conceives 
that  he  has  a  perfect  right  to  tyrannize,  to  bear  them 
on  their  shoulders  across  extensive  deserts  of  burning 
sand  to  his  head-quarters  at  Bamangwato.  So  great 
was  the  fatigue  endured  by  the  poor  Bakalahari  on  these 
occasions,  that  many  of  tliem  died  of  exhaustion  before 
reaching  Bamangwato.  At  an  early  hour  on  the  4th, 
Sicomy  not  appearing,  I  proceeded  to  visit  him  at  his 
mountain  residence,  accompanied  by  Isaac  and  a  party 
of  his  own  men.  We  wound  along  the  base  of  the 
mountains  for  the  distance  of  half  a  mile,  and  then 
commenced  ascending  the  almost  perpendicular  and 
rugged  mountain  side,  consisting  of  immense  masses 
of  rock  heaped  together  in  dire  confusion.  Having 
gained  the  summit,  which  was  of  a  tabular  character, 
we  advanced  a  short  distance  through  a  succession  of 
heaps  of  disjointed  masses  of  rock,  and  presently  we 
reached  the  chief's  temporary  retreat,  which  consisted 
of  a  small  circular  hut,  composed  of  a  frame-work  of 
boughs  of  trees,  interlined  with  twigs  and  covered  with 
grass.  A  number  of  similar  huts  were  erected  around 
the  royal  dwelling,  on  areas  which  his  men  had  cleared 
among  the  rocks.  This,  however,  was  the  abode  of  only 
a  very  small  part  of  his  tribe,  which  was  extensively 
scattered  over  different  parts  of  the  mountain  range, 
and  occupied  sundry  distant  cattle  outposts. 

I  found  Sicomy  seated  before  his  wigwam,  in  earnest 
conversation  with  his  counselors.  He  seemed  pleased 
to  see  me,  and  thanked  me  for  my  visit.  I  shook  hands 
with  him,  and  informed  him  that,  owing  to  the  scar- 
city of  water  at  Lesausau,  I  could  not  prolong  my  visit 
to  him,  and  that  I  had  come  to  take  my  leave,  and  had 
brought  him  a  few  presents,  which  I  then  laid  before 


BRISK    BARTER. 


281 


him.  He  thanked  me,  and  said  that  I  was  very  good, 
and  that  he  was  happy  that  I  had  visited  his  country ; 
but  that  one  thing  made  his  heart  sore,  viz.,  that  we 
had  not  been  able  to  trade.  I  replied  that  that  was  his 
fault,  and  not  mine,  having  offered  him  my  goods  on 
equally  liberal  terms  as  I  did  to  others.  I  then  ex- 
pressed myself  anxious  to  depart.  Hereupon  Sicomy 
requested  me  to  remain  with  him  another  day,  promis- 
ing to  bring  me  abundance  of  tusks,  and  to  purchase 
all  my  muskets.  To  this  I  replied  that  I  was  still  will- 
ing to  deal  with  him,  if  he  would  only  deal  fairly ;  but 
I  gave  him  to  understand  that  this  was  positively  the 
last  day  I  could  remain  with  him.  We  then  all  start- 
ed for  the  wagons,  where  this  day  the  barter  went  on 
as  briskly  as  it  had  been  dilatory  on  the  two  preceding 
ones.  The  king  continued  drinking  coffee  and  taking 
snuff  at  a  tremendous  rate,  and  large  bowls  of  his  bo- 
yalwa  kept  continually  arriving,  and  were  freely  circu- 
lated throughout  the  day.  Sicomy  gave  me  three  bull's 
tusks  for  each  of  the  first  tw^o  muskets,  I  giving  him 
some  powder  and  lead  to  boot;  after  which  the  price 
fell  to  two  tusks  for  each  musket.  With  this  rate  of 
exchange  the  whole  assembly  seemed  perfectly  satis- 
fied, .and  the  trading  went  on  without  a  murmur.  Ath- 
letic savages  were  constantly  coming  and  going  through- 
out the  day  in  three  different  directions,  bearing  on  their 
shoulders  the  precious  spoils  of  the  elephants  of  the 
Kalahari ;  and  when  the  sun  went  down,  all  my  mus- 
kets were  disposed  of,  and  I  found  myself  in  the  posses- 
sion of  a  very  valuable  lot  of  ivory. 

I  also  effected  several  exchanges  of  beads  and  am- 
munition for  the  tusks  of  cow  elephants.  I  had  resolved 
to  purchase  fine  specimens  of  the  native  costume  and 
arms,  &c. ;  but  ivory  being  the  most  important  article, 


282  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

it  was  best  to  defer  all  minor  transactions  until  our 
trade  in  it  was  concluded.  The  king  seemed  highly 
delighted  with  his  purchases,  and  insisted  on  discharg- 
ing each  of  the  muskets  as  he  bought  it.  It  was  amus- 
ing to  see  the  manner  in  which  he  performed  this  oper- 
ation. Throwing  back  his  kaross,  and  applying  the 
stock  to  his  naked  shoulder,  he  shut  his  good  eye,  and 
kept  the  wall-eye  open,  to  the  intense  amusement  of 
the  Hottentots,  who  were  his  instructors  on  the  occa- 
sion. Each  report  caused  the  utmost  excitement  and 
merriment  among  the  warriors,  who  pressed  forward, 
and  requested  that  they  also  might  be  permitted  to  try 
iheir  skill  with  these  novel  implements  of  war. 

The  king  had  in  his  possession  a  most  wonderful 
knob-kerry,  which  I  was  determined  to  obtain.  It  was 
made  of  the  horn  of  the  kobaoba,  a  very  rare  species  of 
the  rhinoceros,  and  its  chief  interest  consisted  in  its  ex- 
traordinary length,  which  greatly  exceeded  any  thing 
I  had  ever  seen  of  the  kind  before,  or  have  since  met 
with.  Handing  Sicomy  my  snuff-box,  I  pointed  to  the 
kerry,  and  asked  him  where  the  kobaoba  had  been 
killed.  He  replied  that  that  kerry  had  been  sent  him 
by  a  chief  who  resided  at  an  amazing  distance  on  the 
borders  of  the  Lake  of  Boats.  I  then  asked  him  to  pre- 
sent it  to  ine,  that  I  might  have  something  to  keep  in 
remembrance  of  him ;  but  he  replied  that  it  belonged 
to  his  wife,  and  he  could  not  part  with  it.  Presently, 
however,  while  sipping  his  coffee,  he  said  that  if  I  chose 
I  might  purchase  it.  I  asked  him  what  he  required 
for  it,  and  he  answered,  the  cup  which  he  then  held  full 
of  gunpowder.  Accordingly,  when  his  majesty  had 
drained  the  cup,  I  handed  him  the  powder,  and  became 
possessor  of  the  kobaoba  kerry,  which  is  now  in  my 
possession,  and  on  which  I  place  a  very  great  value. 


A    BECHUANA    BIVOUAC.  283 

It  was  now  night,  and  the  king  said  that  he  would 
sleep  by  the  wagons,  as  it  was  too  late  to  go  home. 
A  number  of  his  men  prepared  for  the  bivouac,  some 
collecting  logs  for  the  nocturnal  watch-fire,  which  the 
Bechuanas  invariably  keep  up,  while  others  were  occu- 
pied in  forming  circular  hedges  of  thorny  branches 
around  the  fires,  within  which  they  carefully  leveled 
the  ground  with  pomted  sticks,  preparator}''  to  spread- 
ing out  their  couches,  which  consist  of  long,  dried  grass, 
and  extend  in  a  circular  form  around  the  fire.  On 
these  couches  the  Bechuanas  sleep,  with  the  soles  of 
their  feet  to  the  fire,  with  no  other  covering  than  a  light 
kaross.  They  lie  huddled  together  like  silver  spoons  on 
a  tray,  and  the  number  of  individuals  around  each  fire 
is  usually  about  a  dozen.  Before  retiring  to  rest  I  in- 
formed Sicomy  that  I  should  march  on  the  morrow  as 
soon  as  my  oxen  had  drunk,  and  I  expressed  ray  wish 
to  trade  with  his  people  for  karosses  and  armor  at  an 
early  hour.  Sicomy  promised  that  these  articles  should 
be  forthcoming,  and  at  once  informed  his  people  of  my 
wish. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  morning  of  the  5th,  I  com- 
menced to  trade  with  Sicomy's  men  for  karosses  and 
Bechuana  arms,  of  each  of  which  I  obtained  some  very 
fine  specimens.  With  these,  as  with  the  ivory,  there 
was  considerable  discussion  before  the  prices  could  be 
agreed  on  in  the  first  instance,  after  which  exchanges 
were  effected  rapidly.  I  had,  however,  to  pay  them 
long  prices  for  their  "  chakas"  or  battle-axes,  on  which 
all  the  Bechuana  tribes  place  a  very  great  value. 

I  had  intended  to  penetrate  beyond  Bamangwato, 
with  a  wish  to  explore  the  country,  and  for  the  purpose 
of  hunting  elephants ;  but,  owing  to  gross  misrepre- 
sentations made  to  me  by  Isaac  relative  to  Sicomy's 


284  ADVENTURES    IN     SOUTH    AFRICA. 

wishes  on  the  subject,  and  partly  owing  to  the  threat- 
ened attack  from  the  Matabili,  I  resolved  for  the  pres- 
ent not  to  extend  my  peregrinations  beyond  Ba'man- 
gwato,  but  to  occupy  my  time  for  the  remainder  of  that 
season  in  hunting  throughout  the  fine  country  between 
Bamangwato  and  Sichely's  mountains.  As  Isaac's 
character,  however,  gradually  unfolded  itself  to  me, 
and  as  I  became  more  intimate  and  conversant  with 
the  natives,  I  discovered  that  he  had  interpreted  Si- 
comy's  wishes  to  me  in  utterly  false  colors ;  and  I  aft- 
erward ascertained  from  the  natives,  whose  language 
I  very  soon  began  to  understand,  that  Sicomy  and  his 
people  were  not  only  willing,  but  anxious  that  I  should 
remain  and  hunt  elephants  in  their  territory.  In  con- 
sequence of  this,  as  the  reader  will  shortly  learn,  being 
informed  by  Sicomy's  men  that  the  invasion  by  the 
Matabili  was  no  longer  apprehended,  I  returned  to  Ba- 
mangwato, and  penetrated  into  the  extensive  forest  to 
*the  northward  and  eastward  of  that  mountain  range 
where  for  several  months  I  continued  hunting  ele 
phants,  accompanied  by  large  parties  of  Sicomy's  mer 


TAKE    LEAVE    OF    SICOMY.  285 


CHAPTER   XV. 

Take  leave  of  Sicomy — Digging  for  Water — The  Elephant's  Fountain 
again — A  wounded  Roan  Antelope  bays  in  the  Water,  and  kills  my 
Dogs  right  and  left — Sicomy's  Camp  again — We  march  through  a 
beautiful  Valley — Curious  Instinct  of  the  Rhinoceros  Bird — A  mighty 
Bull  Elephant  shot  after  a  hard  Conflict — Mutchuisho's  Attentions 
more  charitable  than  pleasant — Cutting  up  an  Elephant — A  strange 
Scene — Baking  the  Flesh — Primitive  Tobacco-pipes — Biltongue  Fes- 
toons. 

About  11  o'clock  A.M.  on  the  5th  of  July,  every- 
thing being  ready,  I  took  leave  of  Sicomy  and  retraced 
my  steps  for  Corriebely.  It  caused  me  much  pain  and 
anxiety  to  observe  that  my  cattle  were  extremely  hol- 
low-looking and  spiritless  from  want  of  water,  not  one 
of  them  having  obtained  a  sufficiency  of  that  essential 
of  life  since  they  had  last  drunk  at  Corriebely,  and  sev- 
eral appearing  so  distressed  that  I  entertained  consid- 
erable fears  of  their  being  able  to  reach  that  fountain. 
I  was  accompanied  by  a  small  party  of  Sicomy's  men, 
who  followed  me  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  flesh.  Hav- 
ing proceeded  about  a  mile,  I  missed  my  greyhound 
•'  Flam,"  which  had  been  doubtless  stolen  by  Sicomy's 
orders,  he  being  notorious  for  his  predilection  for  that 
variety  of  dog.  I  therefore  at  once  dispatched  a  mes- 
senger to  the  king,  to  say  that  I  required  him  to  find 
my  dog  ;  and  shortly  after  this  men  overtook  me,  bear- 
ing a  kaross  which  they  said  the  king  had  sent  to  pur- 
chase one  of  my  dogs.  I  replied  that  they  had  already 
taken  the  dog,  but  that  I  would  not  have  the  kaross 
They  then  departed,  and  I  continued  my  march.     Aft 


286  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

er  trekking  about  six  miles  we  reached  a  deep  gravel, 
hole  beside  a  mass  of  red  granite  rock,  at  the  bottom 
of  which  there  was  about  a  bucketful  of  spring  water; 
and  here  was  the  fresh  spoor  of  a  huge  bull  elephant, 
which  had  scooped  out  large  portions  of  the  gravel  with 
his  trunk  on  the  preceding  evening,  but  on  turning 
about  he  had  entirely  undone  what  he  had  accomplish- 
ed by  trampling  it  down-  again  into  the  well  with  his 
huge  feet. 

On  inspecting  the  spot  I  fancied  that  by  digging  we 
might  obtain  a  little  water  for  the  unfortunate  cattle, 
which  at  this  moment  was  an  object  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance, the  fountain  of  Corriebely  being  still  very 
distant.  I  accordingly  set  to  work  hard  with  all  my 
followers,  assisted  by  the  Bechuanas  ;  and  having  re- 
moved an  immense  quantity  of  the  gravel,  I  had  the 
satisfaction  to  discover  a  small  spring  of  excellent  wa- 
ter, which  issued  from  beneath  the  granite  rock,  and 
ran  as  fast  as  we  could  catch  it  in  our  pails.  I  then 
placed  my  large  flesh-pot  near  the  pit,  and  ordering  the 
men  to  bring  up  the  cattle  in  small  detachments,  we 
bailed  out  the  water  as  fast  as  they  could  drink  it,  the 
buckets  being  handed  along  by  a  line  of  men  extending 
up  the  gravel  bank  to  the  cattle,  and  thus,  in  a  short 
time,  every  one  of  them  obtained  a  sufficiency.  This 
opportune  supply  of  water  was  to  me  invaluable,  my 
poor  dogs  having  also  been  much  distressed,  and  requir- 
ing  water  no  less  than  the  cattle. 

With  renewed  spirits  we  continued  our  journey,  and 
at  sundown  we  halted  about  half  way  to  Corriebely. 
On  the  march  two  of  the  oxen  evinced  distress,  and  we 
were  obliged  to  outspan  them  and  allow  them  to  follow 
slowly  with  the  loose  cattle.  About  10  o'clock  on  the 
following  morning  I  reached  Corriebely,  and  was  most 


SEARCH    FOR    ELEPHANTS.  287 

thankful  to  have  succeeded  in  bringing  all  my  wretch- 
ed cattle  alive  to  a  fountain  where  they  could  drink 
their  fill.  While  breakfasting,  three  of  Sicomy's  men 
approached,  leading  my  greyhound  Flam  ;  they  said 
that  they  were  sent  by  Sicomy,  who,  on  hearing  that 
she  was  missing,  had  at  once  issued  orders  for  her 
recovery. 

In  the  afternoon  we  inspanhed,  and  marched  to  the 
scene  of  the  fall  of  my  first  elephant,  where  we  halted 
for  the  night.  On  reaching  Massouey  I  commenced  ex- 
amining the  elephants'  foot-paths  on  the  side  on  which 
were  my  strongest  hopes.  I  had  almost  made  the  cir- 
cuit of  the  fountain,  and  hope  had  died  within  me, 
when,  lo !  broad  and  long,  and  fresh  as  fresh  could  be, 
the  enormous  spoor  of  two  mighty  bull  elephants  which 
had  drunk  there  during  the  night.  This  was  glorious  ! 
I  had  great  faith  in  the  spooring  powers  of  the  Ba- 
mangwato  men,  and  I  felt  certain  that  at  length  the 
day  had  arrived  on  which  I  was  to  kill  my  first  bull 
elephant.  The  Bechuanas  at  once  took  up  the  spoor, 
and  went  ahead  in  a  masterly  manner,  and  with  buoy- 
ant spirits  I  followed  in  their  steps.  The  spoor  led 
about  due  west,  a  direction  in  which  I  had  not  yet 
been.  Having  followed  it  for  many  miles  through  this 
desert  country,  we  reached  a  district  where  the  bushes, 
to  whose  berries  Knop-kop  was  so  partial,  grew  in  great 
abundance;  and  here  the  elephants  had  commenced  to 
feed  upon  their  roots,  plowing  up  the  sand  extensively 
with  their  tusks.  We  now  entered  upon  ground  much 
frequented  by  elephants,  their  traces,  of  various  dates, 
extending  on  all  sides,  crossmg  and  recrossing  one  an- 
other in  every  direction ;  and  by  this  means  we  event- 
ually lost  the  spoor.  After  a  fruitless  search  of  several 
hours,  and  many  vain  endeavors  to  retrieve  the  day  by 


288  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

trying  back  on  the  spoor  and  making  wide  casts  to 
the  right  and  left,  I  was  completely  beaten,  and  com- 
pelled to  drop  it,  the  Bechuanas  sitting  down  and  sulk- 
ily refusing  to  proceed  further.  We  now  bent  our 
steps  homeward.  We  had  not  ridden  many  miles 
when  we  observed  ft  herd  of  fifteen  camelopards  brows- 
ing quietly  in  an  open  glade  of  the  forest.  After  a  very 
severe  chase,  in  the  course  of  which  they  stretched  out; 
into  a  magnificent  widely-extended  front,  keeping  their 
line  with  a  regularity  worthy  of  a  troop  of  dragoons, 
I  succeeded  in  separating  a  fine  bull,  upward  of  eight- 
een feet  in  height,  from  the  rest  of  the  herd,  and 
brought  him  to  the  ground  within  a  short  distance  of 
the  camp.  The  Bechuanas  expressed  themselves  de- 
lighted at  my  success.  They  kindled  a  fire  and  slept 
beside  the  carcass,  which  they  very  soon  reduced  to  bil- 
tongue  and  marrow-bones. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th  I  walked  to  the  fountain 
and  examined  all  the  elephants'  foot-paths,  but  there 
was  no  fresh  spoor.  Having  breakfasted,  I  rode  for  a 
conical  hill,  distant  from  the  wagons  about  five  miles 
in  a  northerly  direction,  from  whose  summit  I  fancied 
that  elephants  might  be  seen.  It  was  a  charming  cool 
day,  with  a  fine  bracing  wind,  the  sky  beautifully  over- 
cast with  clouds.  I  rode  along,  holding  the  elephants' 
foot-paths.  The  marks  of  their  strength  were  visible 
in  every  grove,  and  all  the  large  trees  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  muddy  vleys,  which  at  this  season  were  dry, 
were  plastered  with  sun-baked  mud  to  a  height  of 
twelve  feet  from  the  ground.  On  reaching  the  base 
of  the  conical  hill  I  sccurea  my  horse  to  a  tree,  and  as- 
cended to  its  summit,  from  which  I  carefully  examined 
the  distant  forest  landscape  with  my  spy-glass,  but 
sought  in  vain  for  elephants. 


ROAN    ANTELOPES  289 

In  the  evening  I  took  my  heavy  single-barreled  rifle 
and  sauntered  toward  the  fountain  A.  large  herd  of 
blue  wildebeests  were  slowly  advancing  up  the  vley  to 
drink.  I  accordingly  took  up  a  position  behind  a  low 
bush  near  which  they  must  pass,  and  lay  flat  on  the 
ground,  waiting  their  approach.  Presently  I  raised 
my  head  to  see  how  they  were  coming  on,  when  I  per- 
ceived a  pair  of  the  rare  and  beautiful  roan  antelope 
or  bastard  gemsbok  warily  approaching  the  fountain. 
These  came  up,  and  were  passing  within  a  hundred 
and  twenty  yards  of  me,  when^  selecting  the  buck,  I 
let  fly,  and  missed.  The  whole  herd  of  wildebeests 
now  wheeled  to  the  right-about,  and  thundered  down 
the  vley,  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of  dust ;  but  the  two 
roan  antelopes,  which  had  probably  never  before  heard 
the  report  of  a  gun,  stood  looking  about  them,  while  I 
hastily  loaded,  lying  flat  on  my  side.  This  being  ac- 
complished, I  again  let  fly,  and  the  old  buck  dropped 
to  the  shot;  the  ball  had  entered  his  shoulder,  and  he 
lay  kicking  and  roaring  until  I  had  almost  reloaded, 
when  he  regained  his  feet  and  made  ofl"  after  his  com- 
rade. At  this  moment  "Ai'gyll"  and  "Bonteberg," 
two  right  good  dogs,  came  up,  having  heard  the  shots, 
and,  perceiving  the  bastard  gemboks,  they  gave  chase. 
To  my  surprise,  the  wounded  buck,  instead  of  turning 
to  bay,  now  set  off"  at  a  rapid  pace.  He  had  not  gone 
far,  however,  when  he  turned,  and  stood  at  bay  for  about 
a  minute.  Two  or  three  more  of  the  dogs  heard  their 
comrades  barking,  and  came  up  to  the  buck,  which 
then  broke  bay  and  made  ofl"  through  the  bushes,  and 
in  another  moment  all  was  still.  It  was  now  almost 
dark,  and  I  followed  in  the  direction  which  the  buck 
had  held,  when  suddenly  I  heard  a  rushing  noise,  and 
in  another  instant  the  wounded  buck  met  me  face  to 

Vol.  I.— N 


290  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

face,  closely  pursued  by  five  of  the  dogs.  He  was  mak« 
ing  for  the  water,  where  he  would  have  bayed,  but  I 
unkickily  turned  him.  Owing  to  light  rain  which  was 
falling  at  the  moment,  I  had  unfortunately  slipped  my 
rifle  into  a  water-proof  holster,  which  prevented  my 
firing,  and  the  buck  held  close  past  the  wagons,  where 
more  dogs  joined  in  the  chase. 

On  reaching  cam.p  I  inquired  of  the  men  if  they  had 
seen  the  buck,  and  they  answered  Yes,  but  that  he  was 
not  wounded.  This  I  fancied  must  be  the  case,  and 
that  the  dogs  had  followed  the  fresh  buck ;  and  as  two 
of  them  made  their  appearance,  I  thought  that  the  af- 
fair was  at  an  end.  In  the  mean  time,  however,  Klein- 
boy  had  seen  the  chase,  and,  hastily  bridling  a  horse, 
had  followed.  He  now  rode  breathless  to  the  wagons, 
and  reported  that  the  buck  was  at  bay  beyond  a  low 
ridge  within  half  a  mile  of  camp,  and  that  he  was  kill- 
ing the  dogs  right  and  left.  Seizing  my  rifle,  I  mount- 
ed a  horse  and  followed  after  Kleinboy  in  the  dark. 
Presently  I  heard  the  music  of  my  pack,  and  on  com- 
ing up  I  found  the  bastard  gemsbok  lying  beside  a  bush, 
with  the  dogs  barking  round  him.  Three  dogs  that  had 
followed  me  from  camp,  on  seeing  the  buck  lying,  rush- 
ed in  upon  him,  when  he  struck  furiously  right  and  left, 
and  killed  ons  dead  on  the  spot,  severely  wounding  the 
other  behind  the  shoulder ;  these  were  Vitfoot  and  Ar- 
gyll, two  of  my  best  dogs.  Again  he  struck  right  and 
left,  and  knocked  over  Wolf  and  Flam  with  amazing 
violence,  severely  injuring  their  stomachs.  He  had 
killed  Bles,  my  stoutest  and  fiercest  dog,  before  I  came 
up,  the  horn  having  entered  his  heart.  It  was  a  long 
tiihe  before  I  could  fire,  for  the  night  was  dark,  and 
the  buck  lay  on  the  ground,  with  the  surviving  dogs 
Rtill  pressing  close  around  him.     At  length  he  stood  up, 


RETURN    TO    SICOMy's    CAMP.  291 

when  I  shot  him  dead  with  a  single  shot.  He  proved 
to  be  the  wounded  buck,  having  received  my  first  shot 
in  the  shoulder.  This  was  a  first-rate  specimen  of  the 
roan  antelope,  and  carried  a  pair  of  superb  cimeter- 
shaped  horns,  which  were  long  and  fairly  set,  and  beau- 
tifully knotted.  Before  leaving  Massouey  two  more 
noble  giraffes  fell  before  my  rifle,  also  several  fat  elands 
and  other  varieties  of  game. 

After  remaining  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  fountain 
for  several  days,  and  finding  that  it  was  entirely  de- 
serted by  the  elephants,  I  determined  to  retrace  my 
steps  and  seek  for  them  beyond  Bamangwato,  and  on 
the  18th  we  again  came  to  the  camp  of  Sicomy  upon 
the  Rocky  Mountains.  I  found  the  king  in  a  kraal 
which  I  had  not  hitherto  visited.  He  was  seated  be- 
neath a  low  shady  tree,  with  a  few  friends  and  some 
of  his  wives.  A  number  of  splendid  koodoos'  skulls 
and  horns  lay  rotting  about  the  kraal,  among  which 
were  several  pairs  exceeding  any  I  had  yet  beheld. 
Casting  my  eyes  to  the  southeast,  I  obtained  a  very 
distant  view  of  the  country  in  that  direction.  From 
the  base  of  the  mountain  on  which  I  stood  stretched  a 
dead-level  parlc  through  a  bold  opening  in  the  mount- 
ains. This  park  was  regularly  ornamented  with  groves 
and  forest-trees,  and  extended  without  the  slightest 
break  or  change  as  far  as  I  could  see.  The  scene  ex- 
actly resembled  the  ocean  when  viewed  from  the  sum- 
mit of  some  bold  mountain  standing  near  its  shore. 
Having  partaken  of  the  king's  beer,  I  descended  to  my 
wagons,  when  we  continued  our  march  along  the  afore- 
said valley.  I  was  accompanied  by  Sicomy's  brother  ; 
and  on  looking  behind  me  as  we  proceeded,  I  beiield 
long  strings  of  the  natives  following  in  our  wake,  and 
small  detached  parties  kept  pouring  down  from  the 


292  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

rocks  and  glens  on  every  side,  until  my  suite  exceeded 
full  two  hundred  men. 

We  held  a  northerly  course,  and  on  the  second  day 
we  reached  Letlochee,  a  strong  perpetual  fountain,  sit- 
uated in  an  abrupt  and  rocky  ravine.  This  ravine  lay 
in  a  range  of  low  rocky  hills,  which  were  bounded  on 
the  north  and  west  by  a  wide  and  gently-sloping  basin 
or  hollow,  diversified  with  extensive  groves  and  open 
glades.  This  hollow  extended  to  a  breadth  of  from  six 
to  eight  miles,  and  was  much  frequented  by  elands  and 
giraffes,  and  beyond  it  stretched  the  boundless  extent 
of  the  sandy  Kalahari  desert.  Here  I  daily  enjoyed 
excellent  sport  with  these  two  varieties  of  game  ;  but, 
though  elephants  occasionally  visited  the  water,  and 
we  followed  on  their  tracks  to  an  amazing  distance,  wo 
always  failed  to  obtain  a  view  of  them. 

On  the  forenoon  of  the  23d  a  native  came  and  in- 
formed me  that  he  had  discovered  a  white  rhinoceros 
lying  asleep  in  thick  cover  to  the  south.  I  accordingly 
accompanied  him  to  the  spot,  and  commenced  stalking 
in  upon  the  vast  muchocho.  He  was  lying  asleep  be- 
neath a  shady  tree,  and  his  appearance  reminded  me 
of  an  enormous  hog,  which  in  shape  he  slightly  resem- 
bles. He  kept  constantly  flapping  his  ears,  which  they 
invariably  do  when  sleeping.  Before  I  could  reach  the 
proper  distance  to  fire,  several  "  rhinoceros  birds,"  by 
which  he  was  attended,  warned  him  of  his  impending 
danger  by  sticking  their  bills  into  his  ear,  and  uttering 
their  harsh,  grating  cry.  Thus  aroused,  he  suddenly 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  crashed  away  through  the  jun- 
gle at  a  rapid  trot,  and  I  saw  no  more  of  him.* 

*  These  rhinoceros  birds  are  constant  attendants  upon  the  hippopota- 
mus and  the  four  varieties  of  rhinoceros,  their  object  being  to  feed  upon 
the  ticks  and  other  parasitic  insects  that  swarm  upon  these  animals. 
They  are  of  a  gi-ayish  color,  and  are  nearly  as  large  as  a  common  thrush  5 


THE    RHINOCEROS    BIRD.  293 

In  the  evening  one  of  the  parties  sent  out  to  seek  for 
the  spoor  of  elephants  returned  to  camp,  stating  that  a 
small  tribe  of  Baivalahari,  who  resided  in  a  range  of 
mountains  to  the  east,  reported  these  beasts  to  frequent 
the  forests  in  the  vicinity  of  their  abode,  and  Mutchu- 
isiio,  Sicomy's  uncle,  who  attended  me  while  hunting 
his  country,  accordingly  requested  me  to  hold  myself 
in  readiness  to  accompany  him  in  quest  of  the  elephants 
at  an  early  hour  next  day.  It  was  customary  with  me 
to  console  myself,  when  hope  had  almost  died  under  a 
long-continued  run  of  bad  luck,  by  saying  to  myself 
that  "  Patience  will  have  her  perfect  work ;"  thus  mak- 
ing up  my  mind  that  a  man  who  is  a  good  stalker  and 
a  fair  rifle-shot  must  eventually  obtain  by  perseverance 
whatever  game  he  seeks  to  kill.  But  in  the  present 
instance  things  looked  so  bad  that  I  had  begun  to  think 
it  not  improbable  that  I  might  be  compelled  to  leave 

their  voice  is  very  similar  to  that  of  the  mistletoe  thrush.  Many  a  time 
have  these  ever-watchful  birds  disappointed  me  iu  my  stalli,  aud  tempt- 
ed me  to  invoke  an  anathema  upon  tlieir  devoted  heads.  They  are  the 
best  friends  the  rhinoceros  has,  and  rarely  fail  to  awaken  him  even  in 
his  soundest  nap.  "  Chukuroo"  perfectly  understands  their  warning, 
and,  springing  to  his  feet,  he  genei'aUy  first  looks  about  him  in  every 
direction,  after  which  he  invariably  makes  off.  I  have  often  hunted  a 
rhinoceros  on  horseback,  which  led  me  a  chase  of  many  miles,  and  re- 
quired a  number  of  shots  before  he  fell,  during  which  chase  several  of 
these  birds  remained  by  the  rhinoceros  to  the  last.  They  reminded 
me  of  mariners  on  the  deck  of  some  bark  sailing  on  the  ocean,  for  they 
perched  along  his  back  and  sides ;  and  as  each  of  my  bullets  told  on 
the  shoulder  of  the  rhinoceros,  they  ascended  about  six  feet  into  the 
air,  uttering  their  harsh  cry  of  alarm,  and  then  resumed  their  position. 
It  sometimes  happened  that  the  lower  branches  of  trees,  under  which 
the  rhinoceros  passed,  swept  tliem  from  their  living  deck,  but  they  al- 
ways recovered  their  formeu  station  ;  they  also  adhere  to  the  rhinoceros 
daring  the  night.  I  have  often  shot  these  animals  at  midnight  when 
drinking  at  tiie  fountains,  and  the  birds,  imagining  they  were  asleep^ 
remained  with  them  till  morning,  and  on  my  ap[)roaching,  before  tak 
ing  flight,  they  exerted  themselves  to  their  utmost  to  awaken  Chuku 
roo  from  his  deep  sleep. 


234  .ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

the  Bamangwato  country  without  again  even  seeing 
what  my  heart  so  ardently  desired,  viz.,  an  old  bull  ele- 
phant free  in  his  native  forests,  and  day  and  night  I 
mourned  my  folly  in  losing  the  opportunity  which  I 
had  neglected  on  the  27th  day  of  June. 

But  Patience  ivill  have  her  perfect  work,  and  the 
day  had  at  last  arrived  which  was  to  repay  my  steady 
perseverance  with  complete  success.  At  an  early  hour 
on  the  24th,  upon  the  strength  of  the  report  brought  to 
us  on  the  preceding  evening,  I  took  the  field  with  Isaac 
and  Kleinboy  as  after-riders,  accompanied  by  Mutchu- 
isho  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  tribe.  We  held  a 
northeasterly  course,  and,  having  proceeded  about  five 
miles  through  the  forest,  reached  a  fountain,  where  I 
observed  the  spoor  of  a  herd  of  cow  elephants,  two  days 
old.  Here  we  made  a  short  halt,  and  snufi'  was  briskly 
circulated,  while  the  leading  men  debated  on- the  course 
we  were  to  follow,  and  it  was  agreed  that  we  should 
hold  for  the  Bakalahari  kraal.  Having  continued  our 
course  for  several  miles,  we  rounded  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  a  range  of  rocky  mountains  which  rose 
abruptly  in  the  forest  and  stretched  away  to  the  south 
of  east  in  a  long-continued  chain.  Here  we  were  met 
by  men  whom  Mutchuisho  had  dispatched  before  day- 
break, who  said  that, the  Bakalahari  women  had  that 
morning  seen  elephants.  This  was  joyous  news.  My 
hopes  were  high,  and  I  at  once  felt  certain  that  the  hour 
of  triumph  was  at  hand.  But  disappointment  was  still 
in  store  for  me.  We  all  sat  down  on  the  grass,  while 
men  were  dispatched  to  bring  the  Bakalahari,  and  when 
these  came  we  ascertained  that  it  was  only  spoor  and 
not  elephants  they  had  seen.  We  held  on  for  an  in 
spection  of  it ;  and  here  I  was  further  to  be  disappoint- 
ed, the  spoor  proving  to  be  two  days  old. 


SEARCH    FOR    ELEPHAMTS.  295 

The  country  now  before  me  was  a  vast  level  forest, 
extending  to  the  north  and  east  for  about  twenty  miles 
without  a  break.  At  that  distance,  however,  the  land- 
scape was  shut  in  by  blue  mountain  ranges  of  consid- 
erable height,  and  two  bold  conical  mountains  standing 
close  together  rose  conspicuous  above  the  rest.  These 
mountains  the  Bamangwato  men  informed  me  were 
their  ancient  habitation,  and  that  of  their  forefathers, 
but  the  cruel  Matabili  had  driven  them  from  thence  to 
the  rocky  mountains  which  they  now  occupy.  We 
continued  our  course  in  an  easterly  direction,  and  twice 
crossed  the  gravelly  bed  of  a  periodical  river,  in  which 
were  several  small  springs  of  excellent  water.  These 
springs  had  been  exposed  by  elephants,  which  had 
cleared  away  the  gravel  with  their  trunks.  Around 
these  springs  the  spoor  of  rhinoceros  was  abundant. 
After  proceeding  several  miles  through  a  dry  and  bar- 
ren tract,  where  wait-a-bit  thorns  prevailed,  we  entered 
upon  more  interesting  ground.  The  forest  was  adorned 
with  very  picturesque  old  trees  of  various  sorts  and 
sizes,  which  stood  singly  and  in  shady  groups,  while  the 
main  body  of  the  forest  consisted  of  a  variety  of  trees 
of  other  sorts,  averaging  the  height  of  a  giraffe.  The 
elephants  had  left  abundant  traces  of  their  presence,  but 
all  the  marks  were  old.  Fresh  spoor  of  giraffe  was  im- 
printed on  the  ground  on  every  side,  and  we  presently 
saw  a  large  herd  of  these,  standing  scattered  through 
the  forest  to  our  left.  They  were  glorious  fellows,  but 
I  was  now  in  pursuit  of  nobler  game  :  the  natives  were 
leading  me  to  some  distant  fountain,  where  tliey  ex- 
pected we  should  discover  spoor. 

On  we  sped  through  the  depths  of  the  forest,  our 
view  being  confined  to  about  fifty  yards  on  every  side. 
Presently  emerging  upon  a  small  open  glade,  I  observed 


296  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

a  herd  of  brindlo4  gnoos  and  two  or  three  troops  of 
pallahs  ;  and  soon  after,  a  second  herd  of  about  fifteen 
catnelopards  stood  browsing  before  us,  and,  getting  our 
wind,  dashed  away  to  our  lef  .  We  had  proceeded  about 
two  miles  further,  and  it  was  now  within  two  hours  of 
sunset,  when,  lo !  a  thorny  tree,  newly  smashed  by  an 
elephant.  Some  of  the  natives  attentively  examined 
the  leaves  of  the  broken  branches  to  ascertain  exactly 
when  he  had  been  there,  while  some  for  the  same  pur- 
pose overhauled  the  spoor.  It  was  the  spoor  of  a  first- 
rate  bull :  he  had  fed  there  that  morning  at  the  dawn 
of  day.  IThe  ground  was  hard  and  bad  for  spooring, 
but  the  natives  evinced  great  skill,  and,  following  it  for 
a  short  distance,  we  came  to  ground  where  a  troop  of 
bull  elephants  had  pastured  not  many  hours  before. 
Here  the  thorny  trees  on  every  side  were  demolished 
by  them,  and  huge  branches  and  entire  trees  were  rent 
and  uprooted,  and  lay  scattered  across  our  path,  having 
been  carried  several  yards  in  the  trunks  of  the  elephants 
before  they  stood  to  eat  the  leaves :  the  ground  also 
was  here  and  there  plowed  up  by  their  tusks  in  quest 
of  roots ;  and  in  these  places  the  enormous  fresh  spoor 
— that  thrilling  sight  to  a  hunter's  eye — was  beauti- 
fully visible. 

All  this  was  extremely  interesting  and  gratifying; 
but  I  had  been  so  often  disappointed,  and  it  was  now 
so  very  near  sunset,  that  I  entertained  but  faint  hopes 
of  finding  them  that  evening.  Mutchuisho  was  very 
anxious  that  I  should  see  the  elephants  ;  he  had  divest- 
ed himself  of  his  kaross,  and,  carrying  one  of  the  mus- 
kets which  Sicomy  had  bought  from  me,  he  led  the 
spooring  party,  consisting  of  about  fifteen  cunning  old 
hands  The  great  body  of  the  men  he  had  ordered  to 
sit  down  and  remain  quiet  until  the  attack  commenced 


DISCOVER    A    HERD    OF    BULL    ELEPHANTS.  297 

Having  followed  the  spoor  for  a  short  distance,  old 
JMutchuisho  became  extremely  excited,  and  told  me 
that  yvG  \Yere  close  to  the  elephants.  A  few  minutes 
after  several  of  the  spoorers  affirmed  that  they  had 
heard  the  elephants  break  a  tree  in  advance ;  they  dif- 
fered, however,  about  the  direction,  some  saying  it  was 
in  front,  and  others  that  it  was  away  to  our  left.  Two 
or  three  men  quickly  ascended  tiie  tallest  trees  that 
stood  near  us,  but  they  could  not  see  the  elephants. 
Mutchuisho  then  extended  men  to  the  right  and  left, 
while  we  continued  on  the  spoor. 

In  a  few  minutes  one  of  those  who  had  gone  off  to 
our  left  came  running  breathless  to  say  that  he  had 
seen  the  mighty  game.  I  halted  for  a  minute,  and  in- 
structed Isaac,  who  carried  the  big  Dutch  rifle,  to  act 
independently  of  me,  while  Kleinboy  was  to  assist  me 
in  the  chase  ;  but,  as  usual,  when  the  row  began,  my 
followers  thought  only  of  number  one.  I  bared  my 
arms  to  the  shoulder,  and,  having  imbibed  a  draught 
of  aqua  pura  from  the  calabash  of  one  of  the  spoorers, 
I  grasped  my  trusty  two-grooved  rifle,  and  told  my 
guide  to  go  ahead.  We  proceeded  silently  as  might  be 
for  a  few  hundred  yards,  following  the  guide,  when  he 
suddenly  pointed,  exclaiming,  "  Klow  I"  and  before  us 
stood  a  herd  of  mighty  bull  elephants,  packed  together 
beneath  a  shady  grove  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
in  advance.  I  rode  slowly  toward  them,  and,  as  soon 
as  they  observed  me,  they  made  a  loud  rumbling  noise, 
and,  tossing  their  trunks,  wheeled  right  about  and  made 
off  in  one  direction,  crashing  through  the  forest  and 
leaving  a  cloud  of  dust  behind  them.  I  was  accom- 
panied by  a  detachment  of  my  dogs,  who  assisted  me 
in  the  pursuit. 

The  distance  I  had  come,  and  the  difficulties  I  had 
N2 


298  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

undergone,  to  behold  these  elephants,  rose  fresh  before 
me.  I  determined  that  on  this  occasion  at  least  I  would 
do  my  duty,  and,  dashing  my  spurs  into  "  Sunday's" 
ribs,  I  was  very  soon  much  too  close  in  their  rear  for 
safety.  The  elephants  now  made  an  inclination  to  my 
left,  whereby  I  obtained  a  good  view  of  the  ivory.  Tho 
herd  consisted  of  six  bulls  ;  four  of  them  were  full- 
grown,  first-rate  elephants ;  the  other  two  were  fine 
fellows,  but  had  not  yet  arrived  at  perfect  stature.  Of 
the  four  old  fellows,  two  had  much  finer  tusks  than  the 
rest,  and  for  a  few  seconds  I  was  undecided  which  of 
these  two  I  would  follow;  when,  suddenly,  the  one 
which  I  fancied  had  the  stoutest  tusks  broke  from  his 
comrades,  and  I  at  once  felt  convinced  that  he  was  the 
patriarch  of  the  herd,  and  followed  him  accordingly. 
Cantering  alongside,  I  was  about  to  fire,  when  he  in- 
stantly turned,  and,  uttering  a  trumpet  so  strong  and 
shrill  that  the  earth  seemed  to  vibrate  beneath  my  feet, 
he  charged  furiously  after  me  for  several  hundreds  yards 
in  a  direct  lino,  not  altering  his  course  in  the  slightest 
degree  for  the  trees  of  the  forest,  which  he  snapped  and 
overthrew  like  reeds  in  his  headlong  career. 

When  he  pulled  up  in  his  charge,  I  likewise  halted; 
and  as  he  slowly  turned  to  retreat,  I  let  fly  at  his  shoul- 
der, "Sunday"  capering  and  prancing,  and  giving  me 
nuich  trouble.  On  receiving  the  ball  the  elephant  shrug- 
ged his  shoulder,  and  made  off  at  a  free  majestic  walk. 
This  shot  brought  several  of  the  dogs  to  my  assistance 
which  had  been  following  the  other  elephants,  and  on 
their  coming  up  and  barking  another  headlong  charge 
was  the  result,  accompanied  by  the  never-failing  trum- 
pet as  before.  In  his  charge  he  passed  close  to  me, 
when  I  saluted  hitn  with  a  second  bullet  in  the  shoul- 
der, of  which  he  did  not  take  the  slightest  notice,     I 


THE    CONFLICT.  299 

now  determined  not  to  fire  again  until  I  could  make  a 
steady  shut;  but,  although  the  elephant  turned  repeat- 
edly, "  Sunday"  invariably  disappointed  me,  capering 
so  that  it  was  impossible  to  lire.  At  length,  exaspera- 
ted, I  became  recJdess  of  the  danger,  and,  springing 
from  the  saddle,  approached  the  elephant  under  cover 
of  a  tree,  and  gave  him  a  bullet  in  the  side  of  the  head, 
when,  trumpeting  so  shrilly  that  the  forest  trembled, 
he  charged  among  the  dogs,  from  whom  he  seemed  to 
fancy  that  the  blow  had  come  ;  after  which  he  took  up 
a  position  in  a  grove  of  thorns,  with  his  head  toward 
me.  I  walked  up  very  near,  and,  as-  he  was  in  the  act 
of  charging  (being  in  those  days  under  wrong  impres- 
sions as  to  the  impracticability  of  bringing  down  an  ele- 
phant with  a  shot  in  the  forehead),  stood  coolly  in  his 
path  until  he  was  within  fifteen  paces  of  me,  and  let 
drive  at  the  hollow  of  his  forehead,  in  the  vain  expecta- 
tion that  by  so  doing  I  should  end  his  career.  The  shot 
only  served  to  increase  his  fury — an  effect  which,  I  had 
remarked,  shots  in  the  head  invariably  produced  ;  and, 
continuing  his  charge  with  incredible  quickness  and 
impetuosity,  he  all  but  terminated  my  elephant-hunt- 
ing forever.  A  large  party  of  the  Bechuanas  who  had 
come  up  yelled  out  simultaneously,  imagining  I  was 
killed,  for  the  elephant  was  at  one  moment  almost  on 
the  top  of  me  :  I,  however,  escaped  by  my  activity,  and 
by  dodging  round  the  bushy  trees.  As  the  elephant 
"was  charging,  an  enormous  thorn  ran  deep  into  the  sole 
of  my  foot,  the  old  Badenoch  brogues,  which  I  that  day 
sported,  being  worn  through  ;  and  this  caused  me  se- 
vere pain,  laming  me  throughout  the  rest  of  the  conflict. 
The  elephant  held  on  through  the  forest  at  a  sweep- 
ing pace ;  but  he  was  hardly  out  of  sight  when  I  was 
loaded  and  in  the  saddle,  and  soon  once  more  alongside. 


300  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

About  this  time  I  heard  Isaac  blazing  away  at  another 
bull;  but  when  the  elephant  charged,  his  cowardly 
heart  failed  him,  and  he  very  soon  made  his  appear- 
ance at  a  safe  distance  in  my  rear.  My  elephant  kept 
crashing  along  at  a  steady  pace,  with  blood  streaming 
from  his  wounds;  the  dogs,  which  were  knocked  up 
with  fatigue  and  thirst,  no  longer  barked  around  him, 
but  had  dropped  astern.  It  was  long  before  I  again 
fired,  for  I  was  afraid  to  dismount,  and  "Sunday"  was 
extremely  troublesome.  At  length  I  fired  sharp  right 
and  left  from  the  saddle  :  he  got  both  balls  behind  the 
shoulder,  and  made  a  long  charge  after  me,  rumbling 
and  trumpeting  as  before.  The  whole  body  of  the  Ba- 
mangwato  men  had  now  come  up,  and  were  following 
a  short  distance  behind  me.  Among  these  was  MoU- 
yeon,  who  volunteered  to  help  ;  and  being  a  very  swift 
and  active  fellow,  he  rendered  me  important  service  by 
holding  my  fidgety  horse's  head  while  I  fired  and  load- 
ed. I  then  fired  six  broadsides  from  the  saddle,  the 
elephant  charging  almost  every  time,  and  pursuing  us 
back  to  the  main  body  in  our  rear,  who  fled  in  all  di- 
rections as  he  approached. 

The  sun  had  now  sunk  behind  the  tops  of  the  trees  : 
it  would  very  soon  be  dark,  and  the  elephant  did  not 
seem  much  distressed,  notwithstanding  all  he  had  re- 
ceived. I  recollected  that  my  time  was  short,  and 
therefore  at  once  resolved  to  fire  no  more  from  the  sad- 
dle, but  to  go  close  up  to  him  and  fire  on  foot.  Riding 
up  to  him,  I  dismounted  and,  approaching  very  near,  I 
gave  it  him  right  and  left  in  the  side  of  the  head,  upon 
which  he  made  a  long  and  determined  charge  after  me; 
but  I  was  now  very  reckless  of  his  charges,  for  I  saw 
that  he  could  not  overtake  me,  and  in  a  twinkling  I 
vvas  loaded,  and,  again  approaching,  fired  sharp  right 


THE    CONQUEST.  3€1 

and  left  behind  his  shoulder.  Again  he  charged  with 
a  terrific  trumpet,  which  sent  "Sunday"  flying  through 
the  forest.  This  was  his  last  charge.  The  wounds 
which  he  had  received  began  to  tell  on  his  constitution, 
and  he  now  stood  at  bay  beside  a  thorny  tree,  with  the 
dogs  barking  around  him.  These,  refreshed  by  the 
evening  breeze,  and  perceiving  that  it  was  nearly  over 
with  the  elephant,  had  once  more  come  to  my  assist- 
ance. Having  loaded,  I  drew  near  and  fired  right  and 
left  at  his  forehead.  On  receiving  these  shots,  instead 
of  charging,  he  tossed  his  trunk  up  and  down,  and  by 
various  sounds  and  motions,  most  gratifying  to  the  hun- 
gry natives,  evinced  that  his  demise  was  near.  Again 
I  loaded,  and  fired  my  last  shot  behind  his  shoulder : 
on  receiving  it,  he  turned  round  the  bushy  tree  beside 
which  he  stood,  and  I  ran  round  to  give  him  the  other 
barrel,  but  the  mighty  old  monarch  of  the  forest  needed 
no  more ;  before  I  could  clear  the  bushy  tree  he  fell 
heavily  on  his  side,  and  his  spirit  had  fled.  My  feel- 
ings at  this  moment  can  only  be  understood  by  a  few 
brother  Nimrods  who  have  had  the  good  fortune  to  en- 
joy a  similar  encounter.  I  never  felt  so  gratified  on 
any  former  occasion  as  I  did  then. 

By  this  time  all  the  natives  had  come  up;  they  were 
in  the  highest  spirits,  and  flocked  around  the  elephant, 
laughing  and  talking  at  a  rapid  pace.  I  climbed  on  to 
him,  and  sat  enthroned  upon  his  side,  which  w^as  as  high 
as  my  eyes  when  standing  on  the  ground.  In  a  few 
minutes  night  set  in,  when  the  natives,  having  illu- 
minated the  jungle  with  a  score  of  fires,  and  formed  a 
semicircle  of  bushes  to  windward,  lay  down  to  rest 
without  partaking  of  a  morsel  of  food.  JNIutchuisho 
would  not  allow  a  man  to  put  an  assagai  into  the  ele- 
phant until  the  morrow,  and  placed  two  relays  of  sen- 


OU.i  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

trie«  x)  keep  ^yatch  on  either  side  of  him.  My  dinner 
consisted  of  a  piece  of  Ilcsh  from  the  temple  of  the  ele- 
phant, which  I  broiled  on  the  hot  embers.  In  the  con- 
flict I  had  lost  my  shirt,  which  was  reduced  to  strcam- 
trs  by  the  wait-a-bit  thorns,  and  all  the  clothing  that 
.remained  was  a  pair  of  buclcskin  knee-breeches. 

The  night  was  very  cold,  it  being  now  the  dead  of 
the  African  winter.  Having  collected  dry  grass,  I 
spread  it  beside  my  fire,  and  lay  down  for  the  night 
with  no  other  covering  than  an  old  sheep-skin  which  I 
had  used  for  a  saddle-cloth.  Shortly  after  T  had  drop- 
ped asleep.  Mutch uisho,  commiserating  my  bare  condi- 
tion, spread  an  old  jackal  kaross  over  me.  This  kaross, 
as  all  Beehuana  garments  are,  was  thickly  tenanted 
by  small  transparent  insects,  usually  denominated  lice. 
These  virulent  creatures,  probably  finding  my  skin 
more  tender  than  that  of  the  owner  of  the  kaross,  seem- 
ed resolved  to  enjoy  a  banquet  while  they  could ;  and 
presently  I  awolce  with  my  whole  body  so  poisoned  and 
inflamed  that  I  felt  as  if  attacked  with  a  severe  fever. 
All  further  rest  that  night  was  at  an  end.  I  returned 
the  kaross  to  Mutchuisho,  with  grateful  acknowledg- 
ments for  his  polite  intentions;  and  piling  dry  wood  on 
the  fire,  which  emitted  a  light  as  bright  as  day,  I  aroused 
the  slumbering  Kleinboy  to  assist  me  in  turning  my 
buckskins  outside  in,  when  an  animating  "  chasse" 
commenced,  which  terminated  in  the  capture  of  about 
fourscore  of  my  white-currant  colored  visitors.  I  then 
lit  another  fire  opposite  to  the  first,  and  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  the  night  squatted  between  the  two,  thus 
imbibing  caloric  before  and  behind. 

As  the  sun  rose  on  the  morning  of  the  25th,  Mut- 
chuisho gave  the  word  to  cut  up  the  elephant,  when  a 
scene  of  blood,  noise,  and  turmoil  ensued  which  I'hiHc^ 


CUTTING    UP    THE    ELEPHANT.  303 

all  description.  Every  native  there,  divested  of  ins 
kaross  and  armed  with  an  assagai,  rustied  to  the  on- 
slaught ;  and  in  less  than  two  hours  every  inch  of  the 
elephant  was  gone,  and  carried  by  the  different  parties 
to  their  respective  temporary  locations,  which  they  had 
chosen  beneath  each  convenient  tree  that  grew  around. 

The  manner  in  which  the  elephant  is  cut  up  is  as 
follows  :  The  rough  outer  skin  is  first  removed,  in  large 
sheets,  from  the  side  which  lies  uppermost.  Several 
coats  of  an  under  skin  are  then  met  w^th.  This  skin 
is  of  a  tough  and  pliant  nature,  and  is  used  by  the  na- 
tives for  making  water-bags,  in  which  they  convey  sup- 
plies of  water  from,  the  nearest  vley  or  fountain  (which 
is  often  ten  miles  distant)  to  the  elephant.  They  re- 
move this  inner  skin  with  caution,  taking  care  not  to 
cut  it  with  the  assagai ;  and  it  is  formed  into  water- 
bags  by  gathering  the  corners  and  edges,  and  transfix- 
ing the  whole  on  a  pointed  wand.  The  flesh  is  then 
removed  in  enormous  sheets  from  the  ribs,  wdien  the 
hatchets  come  into  play,  wdth  which  they  chop  through, 
and  remove  individually,  each  colossal  rib.  The  bow- 
els are  thus  laid  bare  ;  and  in  the  removal  of  these  the 
leading  men  take  a  lively  interest  and  active  part,  for 
it  is  throughout  and  around  the  bowels  that  the  fat  of 
the  elephant  is  mainly  found. 

There  are  few  things  w^hich  a  Bechuana  prizes  so 
highly  as  fat  of  any  description  ;  they  will  go  an  amaz- 
ing distance  for  a  small  portion. of  it.  They  use  it 
principally  in  cooking  their  sun-dried  biltongue,  and 
they  also  eat  it  with  their  corn.  The  fat  of  the  ele- 
ptiant  lies  in  extensive  layers  and  sheets  in  his  inside, 
and  the  quantity  which  is  obtained  from  a  full-grown 
bull,  in  high  condition,  is  very  great.  Befoie  it  can 
be  obtained,  the  greater  part  of  the  bowels  must  be  re- 


304  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH  AFRICA. 

moved.  To  accomplish  this,  several  men  eventually 
enter  the  immense  cavity  of  his  inside,  where  they 
continue  mining  away  with  their  assagais,  and  hand- 
ing the  fat  to  their  comrades  outside  until  all  is  bare. 
While  this  is  transpiring  with  the  sides  and  bowels, 
other  parties  are  equally  active  in  removing  the  skin 
and  flesh  from  the  remaining  parts  of  the  carcass.  Tho 
natives  have  a  horrid  practice  on  these  occasions  of  be- 
smearing their  bodies,  from  the  crown  of  the  head  to  the 
sole  of  the  foot,  with  the  black  and  clotted  gore ;  and 
in  this  anointing  they  assist  one  another,  each  man  tak- 
ing up  the  fill  in  both  his  hands,  and  spreading  it  over 
the  back  and  shoulders  of  his  friend.  Throughout  the 
entire  proceeding  an  incessant  and  deafening  clamor  of 
many  voices  and  confused  sounds  is  maintained,  and 
violent  jostling  and  wrestling  are  practiced  by  every 
man,  elbowing  the  breasts  and  countenances  of  his  fel- 
lows, all  slippery  with  gore,  as  he  endeavors  to  force 
his  way  to  the  venison  through  the  dense  intervening 
ranks,  while  the  sharp  and  ready  assagai  gleams  in 
every  hand.  The  angry  voices  and  gory  appearances 
of  these  naked  savages,  combined  with  their  excited 
and  frantic  gestures  and  glistening  arms,  presented  an 
effect  so  wild  and  striking,  that  when  I  first  beheld  the 
scene  1  contemplated  it  in  the  momentary  expectation 
of  beholding  one  half  of  the  gathering  turn  their  weap- 
ons against  the  other. 

The  trunk  and  feet  are  considered  a  delicacy,  and  a 
detachment  are  employed  on  these.  The  four  feet  are 
amputated  at  the  fetlock  joint,  and  the  trunk,  which  at 
the  base  is  about  two  feet  in  thickness,  is  cut  into  con- 
venient lengths.  Trunk  and  feet  are  then  baked,  pre- 
paratory to  their  removal  to  head-quarters.  The  man- 
ner in  which  this  is  done  is  as  follows :  A  party,  pro- 


BAKING    elephant's    FLESH.  305 

vided  with  sharp-pointed  sticks,  dig  a  hole  in  the  ground 
for  each  foot  and  a  portion  of  the  trunk.  These  holes 
are  about  two  feet  deep,  and  a  yard  in  width;  the  ex- 
cavated earth  is  embanked  around  the  margin  of  the 
hole.  This  work  being  completed,  they  next  collect  an 
immense  quantity  of  dry  bi-anches  and  trunks  of  trees, 
of  which  there  is  always  a  profusion  scattered  around, 
having  been  broken  by  the  elephants  in  former  years. 
These  they  pile  above  the  holes  to  the  height  of  eight 
or  nine  feet,  and  then  set  fire  to  the  heap.  When  these 
strong  fires  have  burned  down,  and  the  whole  of  the 
wood  is  reduced  to  ashes,  the  holes  and  the  surround- 
ing earth  are  heated  in  a  high  degree.  Ten  or  twelve 
men  then  stand  round  the  pit,  and  rake  out  the  ashes 
with  a  pole  about  sixteen  feet  in  length,  having  a  hook 
at  the  end.  They  relieve  one  another  in  quick  succes- 
sion, each  man  running  in  and  raking  the  ashes  for  a 
few  seconds,  and  then  pitching  the  pole  to  his  comrade 
and  retreating,  since  the  heat  is  so  intense  that  it  is 
scarcely  to  be  endured.  When  all  the  ashes  are  thus 
raked  out  beyond  the  surrounding  bank  of  earth,  each 
elephant's  foot  and  portion  of  the  trunk  is  lifted  by  two 
athletic  men,  standing  side  by  side,  who  place  it  on 
their  shoulders,  and,  approaching  the  pit  together,  they 
heave  it  into  it.  The  long  pole  is  now  again  resumed, 
and  with  it  they  shove  in  the  heated  bank  of  earth  upon 
the  foot,  shoving  and  raking  until  it  is  completely  bur- 
ied in  the  earth.  The  hot  embers,  of  which  there  is 
always  a  great  supply,  are  then  raked  into  a  heap  above 
the  foot,  and  another  bonfire  is  kindled  over  each,  which 
is  allowed  to  burn  down  and  die  a  natural  death,  by 
which  time  the  enormous  foot  or  trunk  will  be  found 
to  be  equally  baked  throughout  its  inmost  parts.  When 
the  foot  is  supposed  to  be  ready,  it  is  taken  out  of  the 


306  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ground  with  pointed  sticks,  and  is  first  well  beaten, 
and  then  scraped  with  an  assagai,  whereby  adhering 
particles  of  sand  are  got  rid  of.  The  outside  is  then 
pared  off,  and  it  is  transfixed  with  a  sharp  stake  for 
facility  of  carriage. 

The  feet,  thus  cooked,  are  excellent,  as  is  also  the 
trunk,  which  very  much  resembles  buff^alo's  tongue. 
The  reason  why  such  large  fires  are  requisite  is  owing 
to  tl  e  mass  of  the  flesh  that  must  be  baked.  In  rak- 
ing tne  sand  on  the  foot,  the  natives  are  careful  not  to 
rake  the  red-hot  embers  in  with  it,  which  would  burn 
and  destroy  the  meat;  whereas  the  sand  or  earth  pro- 
tects it,  imparting  an  even  and  steady  heat.  When 
the  natives  have  cut  up  the  elephant,  and  removed  the 
large  masses  of  flesh,  &c.,  to  their  respective  temporary 
kraals  around,  they  sit  down  for  a  little  to  rest  and 
draw  their  breath,  and  for  a  short  time  smoking  and 
snuffing  are  indulged  in. 

The  Bechuana  pipe  is  of  a  very  primitive  description, 
differing  from  any  I  had  ever  seen.  When  they  wish 
to  smoke  they  moisten  a  spot  of  earth,  not  being  par- 
ticular whence  they  obtain  the  water.  Into  this  earth 
they  insert  a  green  twig,  bent  into  a  semicircle,  whoso 
bend  is  below  the  said  earth,  and  both  ends  protruding. 
They  then  knead  the  moist  earth  down  with  their 
knuckles  on  the  twig,  which  they  work  backward  and 
forward  until  a  hole  is  established,  when  the  twig  is 
withdrawn,  and  one  end  of  the  aperture  is  enlarged  with 
the  fingers,  so  as  to  form  a  bowl  to  contain  the  tobacco. 
The  pipe  is  thus  finished  and  ready  for  immediate  use, 
when  tobacco  and  fire  are  introduced,  and  the  smoker 
drops  on  his  knees,  and,  resting  on  the  palms  of  his 
hands,  he  brings  his  lips  in  contact  with  the  mud  at 
the  small  end  of  the  hole,  and  thus  inhales  the  grateful 


RESULTS    OF    THE    HUNT.  307 

fumes.  Large  volumes  of  smoke  are  emitted  through 
the  nostrils,  while  a  copious  flow  of  tears  from  the  eyes 
of  the  smoker  evinces  the  pleasure  he  enjoys.  One  of 
these  pipes  will  serve  a  large  party,  who  replenish  the 
bowl  and  relieve  one  another  in  succession. 

The  natives,  having  drawn  their  breath,  once  more 
devote  their  attention  to  the  flesh,  which  they  next  re- 
duce to  biltongue,  cutting  every  morsel  into  thin  strips 
from  six  to  twenty  feet  in  length.  These  strips  are  of 
the  breadth  and  thickness  of  a  man's  two  fingers.  When 
all  is  reduced  to  biltongue,  they  sally  forth  with  their 
tomahawks,  and  cut  down  a  number  of  poles  of  two 
sorts,  for  uprights  and  cross-poles.  The  uprights  are 
eight  feet  long,  and  forked  at  one  end.  They  place 
them  upright  in  the  ground  aroa-nd  their  respective 
trees,  laying  the  cross-poles  resting  on  the  forks,  and 
these  are  adorned  with  endless  garlands  of  the  raw 
meat,  which  is  permitted  to  hang  in  the  sun  for  two  or 
three  days,  when  it  will  have  lost  much  of  its  weight, 
and  be  stiff"  and  easy  to  be  carried.  They  then  remove 
the  biltongue  from  the  poles,  and,  folding  it  together, 
they  form  it  into  bundles,  which  are  strongly  lashed 
and  secured  v/ith  long  strips  of  the  tough  inner  bark 
of  thorny  mimosas.  Their  work  in  the  forest  is  now 
completed,  and,  each  man  placing  one  bundle  on  his 
head,  and  slinging  several  others  across  his  shoulders, 
returns  to  his  wife  and  family  at  head-quarters. 

The  appearance  which  the  flesh  of  a  single  elephant 
exhibits  when  reduced  to  strips  and  suspended  from  the 
poles  is  truly, surprising,  the  forest  far  around  display- 
ing a  succession  of  ruby  festoons,  and  reminding  one  of 
a  vineyard  laden  with  its  clustering  fruits.  When  the 
skull  of  my  elephant  was  ready  for  the  ax,  Mutchuisho 
caused  a  party  to  hew  out  for  me  the  tusks — a  work  of 


308  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

great  labor,  and  needing  considerable  skill.  In  the  pies- 
ent  instance  the  work  was  clumsily  executed,  the  na- 
tive hacking  and  injuring  the  ivory  in  removing  the 
bone  with  their  little  tomahawks.  In  consequence  of 
this,  I  invariably  afterward  performed  the  task  myself, 
using  superior  American  hatchets,  which  I  had  provid- 
ed expressly  for  the  purpose.  When  the  tusks  had  been 
extracted,  I  saddled  up  and  started  for  the  camp,  ac- 
companied by  my  after-riders  and  a  party  of  the  natives 
bearing  the  ivory,  with  a  supply  of  baked  foot  and  trunk 
and  a  portion  of  the  flesh.  The  natives  had  appropri- 
ated all  the  rest,  and  when  I  left  them  they  were  quar- 
reling over  the  remnant  of  the  skull,  whose  marrowy 
bones  were  in  high  demand.  They  fought  for  every 
chip  as  it  flew  from  the  ax,  and  chewed  it  raw.  On 
our  way  to  camp  we  passed  through  the  kraal  of  the 
Bakalahari,  situated  in  the  mountain  range.  In  the 
valleys  they  had  formed  considerable  gardens,  in  which 
corn  and  water-melons  were  extensively  grown.  I  was 
right  glad  to  reach  my  comfortable  camp,  and  get  a 
bowd  of  coffee. 

On  the  evening  of  the  26th  men  kept  pouring  into 
camp  heavily  laden  with  the  flesh  of  the  elephant,  a 
large  part  of  which  was  for  Sicomy :  they_  halted  with 
me  for  the  night,  and  resumed  their  march  in  the 
morning. 


TREACHERY    OF    ISAAC  300 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

Elephant  Spooring  with  the  Natives — The  Mystic  Dice — Hunt  in  a 
Wait-a-bit  Thoin  Cover — Romantic  Gorge  in  the  Mountains — Sabie 
— Ancient  Elephant  Palh  —  Ludicrous  Native  Signal — A  noble  Bull 
Elephant  slain — Isaac,  my  Interpreter,  dismissed — A  Lioness  bagged 
at  one  Sliot — Diunkenness  and  Disorder  in  Camp — My  Manner  of 
taking  the  Field  after  the  larger  Game — Sicomy's  Followers  desert 
me. 

On  the  27th  of  July  I  resolved  to  move  my  wagons 
further  to  the  east,  and  informed  the  wagon-drivers  of  my 
intentions:  they,  however,  raised  many  objections,  and 
all  but  gave  me  a  direct  refusal.  As  I  was  not  aware 
of  the  position  of  the  waters,  and  knowing  well  that 
Isaac  would  not  assist  me  in  discovering  them,  I  deem- 
ed it  prudent  first  to  make  an  excursion  to  the  east  on 
horseback.  I  accordingly  stowed  some  ammunition  and 
a  washing-rod  in  my  old  game-bag  (to  the  inside  of 
which,  by-the-by,  adhered  a  goodly  coating  of  the  scales 
of  grilse  and  salmon,  along  with  sundry  speckled  and 
blood-stained  feathers  of  the  grouse  and  partridge),  and 
having  made  bread  and  ground  coffee  sufficient  for  three 
days'  consumption,  I  ordered  two  of  my  men  to  be  ready 
to  accompany  me  next  morning.  My  interpreter's 
countenance  never  lacked  a  scowl ;  and,  instead  of  for- 
warding my  interests,  he  actively  employed  his  ener- 
gies in  sowing  dissension  between  me  and  the  natives, 
and  disseminating  mutiny  among  my  Hottentots.  I 
discovered  that  all  along  he  had  deceived  me,  and  care- 
fully concealed  the  direction  where  elephants  most 
abounded,  and  I  began  to  think  that,  in  justice  to  my* 


olO  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

self,  it  was  high  time  that  he  should  be  ignominiousiy 
dismissed  the  service. 

On  the  28th,  as  I  was  breakfasting,  natives  arrived 
and  reported  fresh  spoor  within  a  mile  of  camp.  I  there- 
fore resolved  to  defer  for  the  present  the  trip  to  the  east- 
ward on  which  I  had  determined  ;  but  it  so  happened 
that  the  spoor  which  was  reported  led  me  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  was  the  means  of  introducing  me  to  a  succes- 
sion of  fine  hunting  districts,  throughout  which  ele- 
phant and  rhinoceros  were  abundant.  Every  thing  be- 
ing ready,  I  proceeded  to  take  up  the  spoor,  accompani- 
ed by  after-riders  and  about  a  hundred  of  the  Baman- 
gwato  men,  fresh  parties  having  joined  me  :  it  was  the 
spoor  of  a  small  troop  of  cow  elephants.  Mutchuisho 
and  the  spooring  party  took  it  up  in  a  masterly  man- 
ner, and  went  along  at  a  rapid  pace  all  day,  with 
scarcely  a  check,  until  we  found  the  elephants.  The 
spoor  led  us  first  through  a  gorge  in  the  mountains, 
which  I  mentioned  as  having  rounded  on  the  24th ; 
after  which  we  followed  it  in  an  easterly  course,  skirt- 
ing the  base  of  the  mountain  chain.  The  country  in- 
creased in  beauty  as  we  advanced;  and,  having  follow- 
ed the  spoor  some  hours,  it  led  us  into  a  new  variet)'' 
of  country,  and,  as  I  fancied,  into  a  new  climate.  Here 
large  trees  were  abundant,  and  the  grass  and  leaves 
were  much  greener  than  in  the  country  we  had  left 
behind.  We  crossed  the  gravelly  beds  of  two  period- 
ical rivers.  In  one  of  these  I  observed  the  recent  spoor 
of  a  heard  of  bull  elephants  deeply  imprinted  in  the 
sand.  This  day  the  wind,  which  had  for  weeks  been 
cold  and  blighting,  blowing  off  the  icebergs  of  the  South- 
ern Ocean,  shifted  to  northeast,  and  breathed  warm  and 
balmy  upon  us. 

As  we  advanced  the  work  of  elephants  became  more 


THE    MYSTIC    DICK.  31  1 

and  more  apparent  on  the  trees  and  in  the  earth,  and 
late  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  ground  where  a  largtj 
herd  of  cows  had  fed  that  morning.  Here  we  had  a 
short  check,  when  Mutchuisho  rated  the  trackers  for 
their  negligence;  and,  having  dispatched  parties  to  try 
back  upon  the  spoor,  and  extended  others  to  make  casts 
on  our  right  and  left,  he  leisurely  ensconced  himself  be- 
neath a  shady  tree,  and  proceeded,  along  with  several 
of  his  cronies,  to  enjoy  the  luxury  of  taking  snufF, 
which  important  ceremony  having  been  duly  perform- 
ed, they  began  with  the  utmost  gravity  to  smooth  a 
portion  of  the  ground  before  them,  preparatory  to  cast- 
ing the  mystic  dice  which  most  of  the  Bechuanas  carry 
strung  around  their  necks.  These  dice,  which  are  of 
sundry  indescribable  shapes,  are  formed  of  ivory,  and 
the  Bechuanas  invariably  appeal  to  them  before  enter- 
ing upon  any  project  of  importance,  to  ascertain  the 
probability  of  its  ultimate  success.  Having  unstrung 
the  dice,  which  are  four  in  number,  they  rattle  them 
between  their  hands,  and  drop  them  on  the  ground, 
when  the  long-headed  old  men  carefully  study  the  di- 
rections of  the  points,  and  decide  the  merits  of  the  case 
accordingly. 

In  the  present  instance  the  dice  spoke  favorably,  au- 
guring the  speedy  capture  of  an  elephant ;  and  one  of 
the  trackers  at  this  moment  coming  up,  and  stating 
that  his  comrades  had  regained  the  spoor,  we  sprang  to 
our  feet  and  again  held  on.  We  had  proceeded  about 
half  a  mile  when  we  suddenly  beheld  a  herd  of  about 
twelve  old  cow  elephants,  some  of  which  were  accom- 
panied by  little  calves,  feeding  high  on  the  side  of  the 
rocky  mountain,  about  five  hundred  yards  to  our  right. 
The  intervening  ground  was  a  dense  and  almost  im- 
penetrable mass  of  wait-a-bit  thorny  bushes,  averaging 


312  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

twenty  feet  in  height,  every  inch  of  which  was  to  be 
dreaded  as  the  hooks  upon  a  "  kill«devil."  On  perceiv- 
ing the  elephants,  we  halted,  and  Mutchuisho  dispatch- 
ed two  men  to  windward,  in  the  hope  of  driving  them 
from  the  impracticable  ground  they  occupied  into  the 
level  forest  where  we  stood.  The  elephants,  however, 
were  much  too  wide  awake  to  leave  their  strong-hold 
of  wait-a-bit  bushes.  On  getting  the  wind  of  the  men 
they  tossed  their  trunks,  and,  wheeling  about,  held 
along  the  mountain  side  at  a  rapid  pace,  until  they 
reached  an  impenetrable  jungle  of  thorns,  from  which 
all  our  efforts  proved  unavailing  to  dislodge  them. 

This  jungle  densely  covered  the  sides  and  bottom  of 
a  wide  semicircular  basin  or  hollow  in  the  mountains; 
it  was  throughout  so  dense  that  a  man  on  foot  could 
scarcely  penetrate  it.  When  the  elephants  started  I 
rode  hard  after  them,  followed  by  my  after-riders,  and, 
not  understanding  the  intentions  of  the  elephants,  we 
followed  on  through  the  mazes  of  the  jungle  in  an  ele- 
phant path  until  we  reached  the  center  of  the  thicket, 
when  we  suddenly  found  ourselves  upon  them.  The 
dogs  then  ran  in  barking,  when  a  general  trumpeting 
took  place,  and  a  charging  and  crashing  in  all  direc- 
tions, and,  owing  to  tlie  extremely  dangerous  nature  of 
the  ground,  I  was  glad  to  beat  a  precipitate  retreat. 

Once  more  all  was  quiet ;  my  dogs  were  jaded  w^ith 
the  sun,  and  would  not  fight.  Fancying  that  the  ele- 
phants had  gone  ahead,  and  fearing  to  lose  them,  I  again 
pushed  on,  holding  the  foot-path  as  before,  when  crash 
came  a  second  charge  of  elephants  at  our  very  elbows, 
accompanied  by  a  trumpeting  which  caused  our  ears  to 
tingle.  They  charged  upon  us  from  opposite  direc- 
tions, and  we  were  actually  in  the  very  middle  of  them. 
They  were  extremely  tierce,  and,  but  for  the  dogs,  not 


A    PERILOUS    SITUATION.  31  ti 

a  man  of  us  had  escaped  to  tell  the  tale.  Fortunately, 
the  dogs,  which  they  seemed  to  think  designed  the  cap- 
ture of  their  calves,  engrossed  their  whole  attention  ; 
whereas,  by  reason  of  the  color  of  the  horses  on  which 
we  rode,  they  took  us  for  gregarious  creatures  like  them- 
selves, and  actually  grazing  our  animals'  haunches  with 
their  legs,  they  left  us  scatheless  and  pursued  the  dogs. 
I  seldom  remenlber  a  more  startling  or  dangerous  po 
sition  ;  it  was  a  decided  case  of  "  De'il  tak  the  hin'- 
most."  Spurs  and  jamboks  were  energetically  plied  ; 
there  was  no  time  to  select  a  path.  Placing  my  head 
below  my  horse's  neck  and  trusting  to  Providence,  I 
charged  through  the  thickest  of  the  thorns,  and  pres- 
ently found  myself  out  of  the  way  of  the  elephants.  1 
know  nothing  which  so  effectually  teaches  a  hunter  the 
art  of  riding  through  "Vacht  um  bige,"  or  "wait-a- 
bit"  jungle,  in  an  artistical  manner,  as  hearing  the 
trumpet  of  an  enraged  elephant,  which  is  following  about 
a  spear's  length  in  his  wake.  After  a  few  such  lessons 
he  will  have  learned  to  bring  his  breast  in  contact  with 
the  side  of  his  horse's  neck,  his  head  being  well  under 
it,  whereby  his  prominent  feature  will  be  secured,  and, 
agitating  his  persuaders,  he  will  dive  through  the  most 
impracticable  "  wait-a-bits"  with  apparently  the  facil- 
ity with  which  an  Eton  boy  takes  a  header  into  the 
Thames  at  the  Lion's  Leap. 

With  very  great  difficulty,  we  got  clear  of  the  cover 
and  gained  the  level  forest  on  the  lower  side.  By  thi 
time  the  natives  had  lined  the  side  of  the  mountain 
above  the  cover,  and  were  shouting  and  yeUing  in  the 
hope  of  driving  out  the  elephants ;  but  not  a  man  would 
venture  in.  Presently  some  of  them  came  round  to  me, 
and  I  proposed  to  go  in  on  foot,  but  they  would  not  hear 
of  it,  saying  that  the  elephants  were  extremely  fierce 

Vol.  T— O 


314  ADVKISTUKES    IN    SOUXn    AFKlUn. 

and  would  kill  mc  to  a  certainty.  I  then  proposed  that 
all  the  natives  should  enter  the  jungle  in  a  line,  and 
try  to  drive  them  out;  but  they  said  that  no  power 
oould  force  the  elephanis  from  their  strong-hold  until 
night  set  in. 

The  elephants  now  shifted  their  ground  a  little,  forc- 
ing their  way  through  the  jungle  to  the  higher  side  of 
the  basin.  Leaving  the  horses  in  charge  of  a  native,  1 
went  round  to  the  line  of  men  above.  Here  I  command- 
ed a  fine  view  of  the  exasperated  elephants,  being  high 
above  them,  and  distant  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
yards,  and  I  observed  that  they  displayed  considerable 
cunning  in  their  movements.  Placing  my  rifle  on  a 
forked  branch,  and  giving  it  the  proper  elevation,  I  let 
drive  at  the  nearest  cow,  and  wounded  her  severely. 
The  shot  reverberated  through  the  dale,  and  the  dogs 
once  more  ran  into  the  midst  of  them,  when  a  general 
charge  and  trumpeting  ensued,  which  was  truly  ter- 
rific. They  rushed  after  the  dogs,  following  them  up 
to  a  great  distance,  crashing  through  and  upsetting  the 
high,  bushy  wait-a-bits  and  other  trees  like  grass.  They 
then  turned  and  formed  in  two  separate  detachments, 
standing  thick  together  ;  but  two  wicked  old  cows  tha» 
had  calves  stood  far  out  from  the  others,  with  their 
heads  turned  to  us,  ready  to  charge  whatever  might 
approach.  I  saw  that  it  was  extremely  dangerous  to 
attack  them  ;  but  the  sun  was  now  fast  sinking  behind 
a  shoulder  of  the  mountains,  so  I  resolved  to  defy  all 
chances  and  enter  the  cover.  I  first,  however,  fired  two 
shots  at  the  elephants  that  formed  the  advanced  pick- 
ets ;  both  cows  got  it  in  the  ribs,  and,  finding  them- 
selves  wounded,  retreated  to  the  main  body,  where  they 
stood  smashing  the  trees  with  rage,  and,  catching  up 
volumes  of  the  red  dust  with  their  trunks,  threw  it  ia 


EXCITING    HUN-r  315 

clouds  ahove  their  backs.  Mutchuisho  and  I  now  de- 
Dcended  into  the  jungle,  and  crept  stealthily  along,  list- 
ening for  the  breathing  of  the  elephants.  Th<py  had 
moved  to  the  lower  siile,  and  were  standing  thick  to- 
getlier  within  one  hundred  yards  of  the  outside.  On 
ascertaining  their  position,  we  emerged  from  the  cover, 
and  followed  along  the  outside  until  we  were  opposite 
them.  I  then  stalked  in  within  twenty  yards,  and  fired 
at  the  side  of  the  head  of  the  elephant  that  stood  next 
to  me  ;  and  before  the  smoke  had  cleared,  my  back  was 
to  them,  and  I  was  running  for  the  outside  of  the  cover 
at  my  utmost  speed.  The  elephants  held  their  ground  ; 
so,  having  loaded,  I  again  drew  near,  and  fired  sharp 
right  and  left  into  another,  and,  turning  my  back,  ran 
for  it  once  more.  Re-entering  the  cover  a  third  time, 
1  was  listening  which  way  they  had  gone,  when,  cast- 
ing my  eyes  to  the  left,  a  noble  elephant  lay  dead  be- 
fore me.  The  ball  had  penetrated  to  her  brain,  and 
she  had  dropped  dead  upon  the  spot. 

A  little  after  this  an  old  cow  came  charging  after  tha 
dogs,  and  took  up  a  position  in  the  jungle  close  beside 
us.  We  heard  her  preparing  for  a  second  charge,  when 
the  natives  beat  a  precipitate  retreat;  but  I  very  rashly 
waited  to  receive  her,  and  just  as  she  cleared  the  cover 
I  let  fly  at  her  forehead.  Regardless  of  my  shot,  she 
came  down  upon  me  at  a  tremendous  pace,  shrilly 
trumpeting.  It  was  rather  a  near  thing,  for  I  was  bur- 
dened with  my  rifle  and  rhinoceros-horn  loading-rod, 
and  my  shooting-belt  containing  about  forty  rounds  of 
ammunition.  I  escaped  her  by  my  speed,  and  the  in 
stant  she  halted  I  faced  about,  and  gave  her  the  other 
barrel  behind  the  .shoulder. 

Night  now  set  in,  and  I  saw  no  more  of  the  ele- 
phants.    A  number  of  them  were  wounded  and  must 


816  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

have  died  ;  I,  however,  felt  satisfied  with  the  one  I  had 
secured.  The  natives  made  me  more  cautious  than  I 
should  otherwise  have  been,  and,  had  we  found  them 
at  an  earlier  hour,  I  should  probably  have  killed  one 
half  the  troop.  Weary  and  hungry,  we  formed  our 
kraals  and  kindled  fires;  after  which,  having  partaken 
of  the  elephant,  I  lay  down  to  sleep  beside  my  fire. 

On  the  29th  I  sent  Carollus  to  the  wagons  with  in- 
structions to  bring  all  the  horses  and  the  Bushman, 
with  bread,  coffee,  and  ammunition.  In  the  forenoon 
I  ascended  the  neighboring  mountain  range  to  obtain  a 
view  of  the  surrounding  country.  On  clearing  the  first 
ridge  I  looked  down  upon  a  bold  and  romantic  gorge, 
which  here  intersected  the  mountain  chain,  connecting 
the  forests  on  either  side.  Far  below  me,  through  the 
bottom  of  the  ravine,  twined  the  gravelly  bed  of  a  peri- 
odical river,  which  in  the  rainy  season  flows  in  an  east- 
erly direction.  Though  in  all  other  parts  this  gravelly 
channel  was  now  dry,  yet  just  at  this  spot,  deep  in  the 
bosom  of  the  mountains,  its  bed  was  covered  with  de- 
licious spring  water  to  a  depth  of  several  inches ;  and 
here  the  elephants  had  excavated  sundry  holes,  about 
two  feet  deep,  for  the  purpose  of  drinking.  I  descend- 
ed to  the  water  by  an  elephant  path,  and  stood  long 
contemplating  the  interesting  spot.  The  bed  of  the 
river  was  deeply  imprinted  with  the  spoor  of  elephants, 
buffaloes,  and  rhinoceros,  of  various  dates.  The  gorge 
was  wide  and  open  by  the  water,  and  its  abrupt  and 
rocky  sides  were  adorned  with  a  profusion  of  trees  and 
shrubs.  A  little  further  down  the  gorge  was  more  con- 
fined, the  river  winding  through  huge  perpendicular 
walls  of  rock,  that  raised  their  giant  forms  on  both  sides 
to  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet. 

From  the  basis  of  these  stupendous  ramparts  to  the 


ROMANTIC    SCENERY.  317 

margin  of  the  river  on  either  side  was  a  sloping  bank, 
along  which  grew  an  avenue  of  picturesque  acacias  of 
enormoQS  bulk  and  lofty  stature  ;  beneath  these  were 
well-beaten  paths  of  elephants,  and  the  sides  of  the 
trees  were  well  polished  to  the  usual  distance  from  the 
ground.  Leaving  the  river,  I  ascended  to  the  sum- 
mits of  loftier  hills  beyond,  where  I  commanded  a  glori- 
ous prospect  of  the  endless  gray  forests  which  stretched 
away  as  far  as  I  could  see  over  slightly  undulating  coun- 
try, the  faint  blue  outline  of  extensive  mountain  ranges 
bounding  the  landscape  to  the  east.  Descending  from 
my  lofty  station,  I  discovered  four  bull  buffaloes  feeding 
in  the  valley  far  beneath  me  ;  I  left  them  undisturbed, 
and  bent  my  steps  toward  the  carcass  of  the  elephant. 

In  the  evening  Carollus  arrived,  bringing  the  horses 
and  ammunition,  and  accompanied  by  a  numerous  body 
of  the  natives.  At  an  early  hour  on  the  30th  I  started 
with  Mutchuisho  and  a  numerous  retinue  to  search  for 
elephants  in  an  easterly  direction,  and  we  crossed  the 
gravelly  bed  of  the  River  Mahalapia,  about  a  mile  be- 
low the  gorge  I  had  visited  on  the  preceding  day.  In 
after  years  I  renewed  my  acquaintance  with  the  Maha- 
lapia, on  the  banks  of  the  fair  Limpopo,  into  which  it 
empties  itself  several  days'  journey  to  the  east. 

This  was  one  of  the  loveliest  spots  I  had  seen  in 
Southern  Africa  :  a  bold  bend  of  the  river  was  adorned 
with  groves  of  remarkably  lofty  and  picturesque  aca- 
cias. Three  trees  in  particular,  of  the  same  descrip- 
tion, graced  the  spot,  which  in  size  and  beauty  surpass- 
ed any  I  had  hitherto  met  with,  carrying  their  thick- 
ness to  a_n  immense  height  from  the  ground,  when  they 
divided  into  goodly  branches,  which  stretched  away  in 
beauty  to  the  skies. 

Here,  in  the  bed  of  the  river,  we  took  up  the  spoor 


318  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

of  a  huge  bull  elephant,  and,  having  followed  it  a  sh  jrt 
distance  through  the  verdant  forest,  we  started  the  old 
fellow,  but  no  man  saw  him.  The  great  body  of  the 
latives  never  would  be  quiet,  and  ever  pressed  upon 
the  spooring  party,  notwithstanding  my  remonstrances. 
One  native  heard  him,  but  said  he  thought  it  was  a  rhi- 
noceros. In  half  a  minute,  however,  we  discovered  our 
mistake,  and  there  ensued  a  general  rush  upon  the 
spoor,  at  a  pace  which  nmst  shortly  have  overtaken 
him,  for  he  had  not  started  in  great  alarm.  Whistling 
to  my  dogs,  they  took  up  the  scent  and  went  ahead  ; 
but  as  I  galloped  after  them,  expecting  every  instant 
to  behold  the  elephant,  whose  spoor  I  now  saw  beneath 
my  horse's  feet,  an  unlucky  troop  of  camelopards  dash- 
ed across  our  path,  and  away  went  all  the  dogs,  leaving 
me  in  the  lurch  just  as  I  was  upon  the  elephant.  The 
trackers,  however,  soon  came  up,  and  we  again  held 
briskly  on,  but  had  not  proceeded  far  when  we  entered 
upon  ground  so  covered  with  fresh  footmarks  that  the 
trackers  in  their  haste  overran  the  spoor  we  followed, 
and  a  long  check  was  the  result.  Here,  to  add  to  my 
annoyance,  another  large  herd  of  camelopards  came 
cantering  up  the  wind,  and  dashed  away  before  us,  to 
spread  further  alarm.  Old  Mutchuisho  now  came  up 
in  a  state  of  intense  excitement,  his  watery  eyes  fixed 
upon  the  ground,  and  his  tongue  going  like  perpetual 
motion.  He  blew  up  the  trackers  right  and  left,  who 
seemed  to  quail  before  his  menacing^  aspect,  and  re- 
doubled their  energies  in  the  doubtful  pursuit.  Pres- 
ently one  of  these,  loudly  smacking  his  "  nether  end," 
intimated  that  he  had  hit  off  the  proper  spoor.  This 
peculiar  signal,  I  remarked,  was  used  by  the  Bechuanas 
to  warn  one  another  on  various  occasions.  In  spoor- 
ing game  it  was  invariably  practiced  ;  and  when  a  line 


A    NOBLE    BULL    ELEPHANT    BAGGED.  31J 

of  ruen  were  thridding  the  mazes  of  the  forest,  cacb 
warntu  tlie  man  behind  him  of  any  rough  sticks,  stones, 
or  thor.T.s  wliich  lay  across  the  path,  by  the  same  ele. 
gant  an  J  friendly  gesture. 

We  re-^nmed  the  spoor  at  a  rapid  pacr-,  with  a  wide- 
ly-extended front,  and  ])resently  on  my  left  I  heard  the 
joyons  signal  of  the  presence,  "  Kiow  ;"  and,  canterinq 
in  that  direction,  I  came  full  in  sight  of  an  enormoug 
bull  elephant,  marching  along  at  a  free  majestic  pace, 
and  in  another  minute  I  was  riding  by  his  side.  The 
horse  which  I  bestrode  on  this  occasion  was  "The 
Cow,"  one  of  my  best  and  stotidiest  shooting-horses  ; 
and  the  forest  being  tolerably  suited  for  the  sport,  I  was 
not  long  in  finishing  the  elephant.  I  fired  thirteen  bul- 
lets at  his  head  and  shoulder  ;  on  receiving  the  last  two 
shots  sharp  right  and  left  behind  the  .shoulder,  he  mado 
a  rapid  charge,  and  disappeared  among  the  trees.  Cau- 
tiously foUovv'ing,  I  discovered  him  lying  in  an  upright 
position,  with  his  two  fore  legs  stretched  out  before  him. 
Fancying  he  was  still  alive,  I  fired  both  barrels  at  his 
car ;  but,  though  the  balls  rang  loudly  on  his  venera- 
ble head,  the  noble  elephant  heeded  not  their  force; 
his  ancient  spirit  had  departed. 

This  was  a  very  large  old  elephant ;  but  his  tusks 
were  much  destroyed,  being  worn  down,  and  having 
been  broken  (probably  in  rocky  ground)  in  former  years. 
Mutchuisho  appeared  in  the  highest  glee,  and  dispatch- 
ed messengers  through  the  gorge  in  the  mountains,  the 
name  of  which  is  Sabie,  to  advise  Sicomy  of  the  death 
of  the  elephant.  The  chase  had  led  me  to  within  rifle- 
range  of  the  three  veteran  acacias  T  admired  in  the  morn- 
ing. I  made  my  bower  and  a  couch  of  grass  beneath  a 
shady  wait-a-bit  thorn-tree,  and  encircled  my  fire  with 
a  hedge  of  the  same  description. 


320  ADVENTURES    IN    SOLTH    AFRICA. 

I  resolved  to  bring  on  my  wagons  to  the  pass  of  Sa- 
ble, where  there  was  sufficient  water  for  all  my  cattle, 
my  intention  being  to  continue  hunting  through  the 
forests  to  the  eastward,  returning  to  Bamangwato  by 
a  different  route.  I,  however,  foresaw  that  I  must 
give  Isaac  his  dismissal  before  proposing  such  a  meas- 
ure :  and,  accordingly,  I  rode  to  camp  on  the  1st  day 
of  August,  and  informed  Mr.  Isaac  that  his  valuable 
services  could  for  the  future  be  dispensed  with,  request- 
ing, at  the  same  time,  that  he  w^ould  make  liimself 
scarce  as  quickly  as  possible.  I  then  explained  to  my 
Hottentots  my  future,  course ;  and  having  directed 
them  to  inspan  and  follow  me  to  Sabie,  under  guid- 
ance of  the  natives,  I  mounted  the  Old  Gray,  and  start- 
ed to  return  to  my  bower  on  the  bank  of  the  Mahala- 
pia.  The  country  between  Letlochee  and  Sabie  was 
almost  impracticable  for  wagons,  the  forest  in  many 
parts  being  extremely  dense,  and  sundry  difficult  nul- 
lahs interv^ening.  I  therefore  did  not  expect  them  to 
reach  their  destination  till  the  afternoon  of  the  follow- 
ing day.  My  men,  however,  did  not  appear  until  the 
evening  of  the  third  day.  They  did  not  seem  at  all  to 
fancy  the  idea  of  following  me  further  through  the  wil- 
derness ;  but,  finding  they  could  make  no  better  of  it, 
they  submitted  to  their  fate  ;  and  no  sooner  had  I  turn- 
ed my  back,  than  Mr.  Kleinboy  proposed  that  they 
should  drown  their  sorrows  in  the  bowl.  This  brilliant 
idea  was  unanimously  seconded  by  all  the  rest.  Axes 
and  hatchets  were  immediately  resorted  to,  the  liquor 
was  obtained,  and  before  I  had  been  gone  an  hour  all 
hands  v.'ere  mortal  drunk. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  following  day  I  started  with 
about  sixty  natives  to  look  for  elephants.  We  filled 
our  water  kalabashes  at  an  elephant's  hole  in  the  bed 


A    LIONESS    SHOT.  £521 

of  the  Mahalapia,  and  held  east  through  the  forest,  and 
presently  we  discovered  the  fresh  spoor  of  two  bull  ele- 
phants. As  we  were  thridding  the  spoor,  the  dogs 
dashed  up  wind  on  some  scent,  and  the  forest  was 
awakened  with  their  music.  I  imagined  they  had  found 
the  elephants,  and  pressed  through  the  thicket  at  my 
utmost  speed.  As  I  approached  I  heard  a  hoarse  noise 
like  the  voice  of  an  elephant ;  but  my  eye  sought  in  vain 
for  his  lofty  back  towering  above  the  wait-a-bits.  1 
then  fancied  it  must  be  a  buffalo ;  but  on  rounding  the 
thick  bush,  behind  which  my  dogs  were  barking,  I  came 
full  in  sight  of  an  angry  lioness,  v/hich  stood  lashing 
her  tail,  and  growling  fiercely  at  the  dogs. 

Observing  the  lioness,  I  shouted  to  the  natives,  who 
were  pressing  forward,  that  it  was  "  Tao,"  when  a  head- 
long retreat  was  the  immediate  result,  a  number  of  the 
party  taking  refuge  in  the  trees.  I  dismounted,  and, 
advancing  to  within  twenty  yards  of  the  lioness,  waited 
till  she  turned  her  head,  when  I  fired  at  the  back  of  her 
neck,  and  stretched  her  lifeless  on  the  ground.  The 
bullet  had  passed  along  the  spine,  and,  penetrating  the 
skull,  rested  in  her  brain.  On  shouting  to  the  natives 
for  a  long  time  none  of  them  would  venture  to  approach 
and  when  at  length  they  did,  their  astonishment  kne" 
no  bounds  at  beholding  their  formidable  enemy  so  easiji,^/ 
disposed  of.  Having  resumed  the  spoor  of  the  elephants, 
we  soon  ascertained  that  the  hubbub  with  the  lioness 
had  started  them ;  and  after  following  the  spoor  some 
distance  through  dense  jungle,  and  over  very  rocky 
ground,  along  the  mountain  side,  the  trackers  declaimed 
themselves  to  be  fairly  beaten,  and  we  gave  it  up. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  3d  I  again  held  east  with  a 
large  retinue  to  seek  for  elephants  We  took  up  spoor 
at  the  fountains  wliere  I  discovered  boreh';  on  the  pre- 

O  2 


322  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ceding  day.  This  spoor  led  us  in  a  southeasterly  course, 
first  through  verdant  forest,  and  then  over  an  extreme- 
ly rugged  ridge  that  stretched  into  the  forest  from  the 
mountain  chain.  Beyond  this  ridge  was  an  extensive 
and  almost  impracticable  jungle  of  wait-a-bit  thorns, 
and  in  tliis  jungle  we  now  heard  the  rumbling  sound 
of  elephants.  As  we  advanced,  I  perceived  from  the 
nature  of  the  ground  that  success  was  very  doubtful, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  the  dogs,  winding  the  elephants, 
ran  in  upon  them  and  gave  tongue  ;  a  crashing  and 
trumpeting  ensued,  and  all  the  natives  shouted  out 
"Machoa"  (signifying  white  man).  With  the  utmost 
difficulty  I  pressed  through  the  jungle,  and  obtained  a 
view  of  one  of  the  elephants,  around  which  my  dogs 
were  barking  angrily ;  but  perceiving  that  it  was  a 
small  cow,  and  knowing  well  that  if  I  shot  her  the  na- 
tives would  not  take  up  spoor  again  for  at  least  a  couple 
of  days,  I  reserved  my  fire ;  and  the  dogs  being  jaded 
by  the  sun,  and  returning  to  my  call,  we  left  the  ele- 
phants to  their  own  devices. 

A  few  minutes  afterward  we  discovered  the  fresh 
spoor  of  two  enormous  bull  elephants,  which  had  pas- 
tured toward  the  hills.  Having  followed  it  a  short  dis- 
tance, we  came  upon  some  dung,  the  outside  of  which 
the  sun  had  not  yet  dried,  from  which  we  might  pre- 
sume that  the  elephants  were  at  that  moment  in  the 
same  valley  Vv4th  ourselves.  Two  young  men  were 
dispatched  in  haste  to  ascend  the  beetling  crags  of  the 
adjacent  mountain,  from  which  they  could  obtain  a 
bird's-eye  view  of  the  length  and  breadth  of  that  and 
the  surrounding  valleys.  The  main  body  of  the  natives 
squatted  on  the  ground,  and  I  sat  down  to  eat  some 
bread  and  elephant,  and  take  a  drinlc  of  water.  I  had 
scarcely  time  to  finish  my  luncheon  Vvhen  the  two  young 


DISORDER    IN    THE     CAMP.  323 

rijen  returned  breathless  with  excitement  to  report  that 
they  liacl  discovered  the  two  bull  el(3phants  browsing  in 
a  grove  of  thorny  trees  on  the  mountain  side  within  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  of  us.  I  approached  under  cover  of  a 
bushy  tree,  on  clearing  which  T  beheld  two  of  the  finest 
elephants  in  Africa  standing  broadside  on  within  fifty 
yards.  The  finer  of  these  had  one  of  his  tusks  broken 
short  off  by  the  lip ;  I  therefore  chose  his  comrade, 
which  carried  a  pair  of  very  long  and  perfect  tusks.  I 
had  hard  work  with  this  elephant,  and  the  sun  was 
under  before  I  laid  him  low. 

On  the  4th  I  rode  for  my  bower  on  the  JNIahalapia, 
in  the  hope  of  finding  my  wagons  waiting  for  me ;  but 
I  had  misgivings  about  my  men,  who  ought  to  havo 
appeared  on  the  evening  of  the  2d.  On  reaching  my 
bower  where  the  former  elephant  had  died,  I  found  the 
fires  still  smoking,  but  every  man  had  disappeared: 
Carollus,  whom  I  had  ordered  to  await  me,  had  vanished 
with  the  rest.  I  now  fancied  that  I  miist  have  missed 
the  natives  who  had  passed  me  on  their  way  to  the  ele- 
phant of  the  previous  day,  and  that  Carollus  had  joined 
the  wagons  wherever  they  might  be.  I  was  right  in 
my  conjecture,  and  presently,  on  firing  a  signal  shot,  I 
received  an  answer  from  the  wagons,  which  were  drawn 
up  in  the  romantic  gorge  of  Sabie,  as  near  as  might  bo 
to  the  water.  Drunkenness  and  disorder  had  jirevailcd 
during  my  absence,  as  I  had  feared ;  my  chests  wero 
broken  open,  the  fine  captents  of  both  my  wagons  wera 
most  seriously  damaged,  oxen  had  been  lost,  and  horses 
ridden  off  their  legs  in  search  of  them.  It  appeared 
that  Mr.  Kleinboy  had  been  the  chief  delinquent.  Un- 
der the  influence  of  the  liquor,  and  anxious  to  distin- 
guish himself,  ho  had  resolved  to  try  his  hand  intiunt- 
ing  the  giraffe.    Accordingly,  he  saddled  Colesberg,  my 


324  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRISA. 

favorite  steed,  and  borrowed  one  of  my  eighty  guinea 
rifles,  armed  with  which  he  had  sped  through  the  for 
est  he  knew  not  whither  ;  and  eventually  becoming  be 
wildered,  ho  had  lost  himself  entirely.  In  this  cond: 
tion  he  was  fortunately  discovered  by  a  party  of  Baki 
lahari,  who  conducted  him  safely  to  my  camp. 

I  had  at  length  got  into  the  way  of  making  mysei 
tolerably  comfortable  in  the  field,  and  from  this  date  1 
seldom  went  in  quest  of  elephants  without  the  follow- 
ing impedimenta,  viz.,  a  large  blanket,  which  I  folded 
and  secured  before  my  saddle,  as  a  dragoon  does  his 
cloak  ;  and  two  leather  sacks,  containing  a  flannel 
shirt,  warm  trowsers,  and  a  woollen  night-cap,  spare 
ammunition,  washing-rod,  coffee,  bread,  sugar,  pepper 
and  salt,  dried  meat,  a  wooden  bowl,  and  a  tea-spoon. 
These  sacks  were  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  na- 
tives, for  which  service  I  remunerated  them  with  beads. 
They  also  carried  my  coffee-kettle,  two  calabashes  ot 
water,  two  American  axes,  and  two  sickles,  which  ] 
used  every  evening  to  cut  grass  for  my  bed,  and  like 
wise  for  my  horses  to  eat  throughout  the  night.  M) 
after-rider  carried  extra  ammunition  and  a  spare  rifle 
and  my  own  personal  appointments  consisted  of  a  wide- 
awake hat,  secured  under  my  chin  by  "  rheimpies,"  oi 
strips  of  dressed  skin,  a  coarse  linenby  shirt,  sometimes 
a  kilt,  and  sometimes  a  pair  of  buckskin  knee-breeches, 
and  a  pair  of  "  veldt-schoens,"  or  home-made  shoes.  I 
entirely  discarded  coat,  w^aistcoat,  and  neck-cloth,  and  I 
always  hunted  with  my  arms  bare.  My  heels  were 
armed  with  a  pair  of  powerful  persuaders,  and  from  my 
left  wrist  depended  by  a  double  rheimpy  an  equally  per* 
suasive  sea-cow  jambok. 

Awund  my  waist  I  wore  two  leathern  belts  or  girdles. 
The  smaller  of  these  discharged  the  duty  of  suspend- 


DRESS    AND    APPOINTMENTS.  326 

ers,  and  from  it  on  my  left  side  depended  a  plaited  rheim- 
py,  eight  inches  in  length,  forming  a  loop,  in  which  dan- 
gled my  powerful  loading-rod,  formed  of  a  solid  piece 
of  horn  of  the  rhinoceros.  The  larger  girdle  was  my 
shooting-belt:  this  was  a  broad  leather  belt,  on  which 
were  fastened  four  separate  compartments  made  of  ot- 
ter-skin, with  flaps  to  button  over  of  the  same  material. 
The  first  of  these  held  my  percussion  caps,  the  second 
a  large  powder-flask,  the  third  and  fourth,  which  had 
divisions  in  them,  contained  balls  and  patches,  two  sharp 
clasp-knives,  a  compass,  flint  and  steel.  In  this  belt 
I  also  carried  a  loading  mallet,  formed  from  the  horn  of 
the  rhinoceros  ;  this  and  the  powder-flask  were  each  se- 
cured to  the  belt  by  long  rheimpies,  to  prevent  my  losing 
them.  Last,  but  not  least,  in  my  right  hand  I  usually 
carried  my  double-barreled  two-grooved  rifle,  which  was 
my  favorite  weapon.  This,  however,  I  subsequently 
made  up  my  mind,  is  not  the  proper  tool  for  a  mounted 
man,  especially  when  quick  loading  is  necessary. 

I  remember  having  a  discussion  with  the  command- 
ing officer  of  a  regiment  of  heavy  dragoons  on  this  sub- 
ject, and  he  and  I  agreed  that  nothing  can  surpass  a 
double-barreled  smooth  bore  for  practical  utility.  When 
a  two-grooved  rifle  has  been  once  or  twice  discharged, 
the  bullet  requires  considerable  power  to  drive  it  home; 
and  to  a  mounted  man  this  is  extremely  inconvenient 
T  consider  that  no  regiment  in  the  service  was  more  ef- 
fectually armed  than  my  own  old  corps,  the  Cape  Mount- 
ed Rifles,  who  were  furnished  with  short  double-barrel- 
ed smooth-bored  pieces,  carrying  a  ball  of  twelve  to  the 
pound,  and  having  stout  percussion  locks.  Give  me  a 
weapon  of  this  description  to  war  against  the  large? 
game  of  Africa.  To  accelerate  loading,  the  hunter  ought 
CO  have  his  balls  stitched  up  in  their  patches,  and  well 


326  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

greased  before  taking  the  field.  This  was  my  invariable 
custom  :  I  found  it  a  great  convenience,  and  after  a 
little  practice  I  could  load  and  fire  in  the  saddle,  al- 
though riding  in  rough  ground  at  a  swinging  gallop. 

On  the  evening  of  the  12th  a  herald  from  Sicomy 
stood  up  in  the  center  of  my  camp,  and  loudly  proclaim- 
ed that  it  was  th^  king's  orders  that  on  the  following 
day  every  man  should  return  to  head-quarters  ;  and,  ac- 
cordingly, next  day  all  hands  shouldered  their  impedi- 
menta and  forsook  me.  I  could  not  rightly  divine  the 
cause  of  this  mysterious  command  ;  but  I  attributed  it 
to  some  plotting  scheme  of  Isaac's,  who,  I  understood, 
was  living  with  Sicomy.  I  saw  very  plainly  that  Mut- 
chuisho  was  against  the  move.  In  consideration  of  his 
services,  I  begged  his  acceptance  of  several  considera- 
ble presents,  and  I  also  sent  some  presents  to  the  king. 
On  parting,  Mutchuisho  promised  shortly  to  return,  and 
he  informed  me  that  he  had  instructed  a  party  of  Baka- 
lahari  to  assist  me  in  my  hunting  during  his  alsence 


END   O?    VOL.  1. 


Kxt     S  e  c  0 11  b 


CONTENTS    OF    VOL.  11. 


CHAPTER  XVII 
We  march  from  Sabie — Track  along  a  River-bed — The  dry  Grass  on 
Fire  for  Miles — Glorious  Elejihant  shooting — Cowardice  of  my  Aft^r- 
ridcr — Strange  Circumstance  at  the  Death  of  a  Bull  Elephant — A  sa- 
ble Antelope — Tete-a-tete  with  a  disabled  Elephant — The  Klip- 
springer  Antelope — A  Pack  of  wild  Dogs  capture  and  kill  a  Koodoo 
— The  coming  of  Summer — Vast  Numbers  of  Birds  visiting  the  Fount- 
ains— My  trusty  two-grooved  Rifle  bursts — My  Snuffers,  Spoons,  and 
Candlesticks  melted  for  Bullets — Elephants  taking  a  Douche  Bath — 
Two  of  them  slain — Yet  more  Elephants — My  Horse  Colesberg  dies 
of  the  African  Distemper — Virulence  of  the  Scourge Page  9 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Turn  my  Wagons  toward  the  Colony — A  Troop  of  Elephants  in  Indian 
File — Splendid  Sport  among  them — Two  of  them  break  their  Tusks 
in  falling — The  Rainy  Season  commences — Erection  of  a  Bothy — 
The  gigantic  Nwaua-tree — Sicomy's  Mountain  Kraal — Four  of  his 
Subjects  become  my  S<-rvants — Corriebely — The  Natives  astonishea 
by  my  finding  a  Mine  of  Lead — Elephant  shooting — Leave  the  Land 
of  Elephants — BoStlonamy — Terrific  Thunder-storm 26 

CHAPTER   XIX. 

AH  my  Colonial  Servants  desert  me — Pursue  them  in  vain — Both  Wau 
ons  get  disabled — Melancholy  Anticipations — Cut  a  Path  through  thp 
Forest — A  sandy  Desert — Cattle  dying  for  Want  of  Water — Troubles 
surmounted — Pallahs  and  Koodoos — A  Lion  and  Leopard  visit  the 
Camp  at  Afidnight — Another  Horse  dies  of  Distemper — We  reach 
Booby — One  of  the  Axle-trees  breaks — The  Bakatlas  assist  me—  Fhe 
Baggage-wagon  upset  in  a  River — The  Distemper  kills  more  Horses 
— Lions  roaring — Arrival  at  Dr.  Livingstone's — March  upon  Chou- 
aney — The  Ngotwaui — A  Herd  of  Buffaloes  ajnong  the  Reeds  ..   42 

CHAPTER   XX. 

Arrive  at  Sichely's  Kraal — Description  of  that  Chief — His  Wives — The 
Rain-makers — My  Gun  Medicine  —  Bakatla  —  A  Kraal  struck  by 
Lightning — Reach  Mr.  Moffat's  Station  at  Kuruman — Daring  Rob- 
beries of  the  Bushmen — Campbellsdorp — Discover  myrimaway  Hot- 
tentots— We  cross  the  Vaal — The  Inmates  of  a  Farm  terrified  by  my 
wild  Appearance — Colesberg  and  Grahamstowu — English  Hounds  in 
Africa 61 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Set  out  again  for  the  Far  Interior — Fort  Beaufort — Purchase  fresn 
Steeds  and  Oxen — My  old  Servant  CaroUiis  rejoins  me — Elejiliant 
Fountain  once  more — Hunt  Elepliants — Corriebely — Obliged  to  act 
very  decidedly  with  Sicomy — Horses  and  Oxen  taken  in  I'its — Two 
Dogs  killed  by  a  Leopard — A  File  of  Bakalaliari  Woirieu  canying 
Water  to  the  Desert — A  sleejuug  Rhinoceros  shi)t. — Hunting  in  the 
Neighborhood  of  Lotlokane  and  Lellocbee — The  Natives  kill  an  Ele- 
phant— A  grim  Lion  slain — Rheumatic  Fever  attacks  me — Leave 
Bamangwato  Country — The  Game  disturbed  by  Natives — Soobie — 
Watch  nightly  for  Game  from  a  Place  of  Ambush — Vanquish  a  noble 
Lioness ^ I'age  74 

CHAPTER  XXIL 
A  Lion  shot  from  my  Watching-hole  at  Midnight — Six  Lions  drink  close 
beside  me — A  Lioness  slain — A  Rhinoceros  bites  the  Dust — Moslakose 
Fountain — My  Shooting-hole  surrounded  with  Game — Pallahs,  Sas- 
saybies,  Zebras,  &c. — A  Rhooze-Rheebok  shot — Extraordinary  Cir- 
cumstance— My  fiftieth  Elephant  bagged — Interesting  Fouutains  on 
the  Hills— Leave  my  Wagons  for  the  Hills — Struggle  with  a  Boa 
Constrictor — Lions  too  numerous  to  be  agreeable — Five  Rhiuoceroses 
shot  as  they  came  to  driuk — A  venomous  Snake 94 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Sichely's  Kraal  again  —  The  Ngotwani  —  The  loose  Cattle  are  lost — 
Chase  and  kill  a  Water-buck — A  Portion  of  the  Cattle  recovered — A 
Leopard  bayed  by  my  Dogs  and  slain — Bufialo-shooting  beside  the 
Ngotwani — A  Lion  feeds  on  the  Carcass — My  Horse  knocked  down 
by  the  King  of  Brates — Meet  a  grim  Lion  Face  to  Face  at  Midnight! 
— He  sheers  off — These  Animals  unpleasantly  bold  —  An  amusing 
Chase  with  a  Buffalo — Interesting  Stalk  in  rocky  Ground — Leave  my 
Hunting-ground  and  encamp  on  the  Vaal  River — Great  Herds — In 
taking  the  Drift  a  Wagon  sticks  fast  in  the  Middle  of  the  River — Great 
Fear  of  losing  all  my  Property — Rescue  of  the  Wagon — Colesberg — 
A  Farmer's  \Vagon  capsized  in  the  Fish  River — Visit  Strydom's  Farm 
and  liud  it  Desolate — Arrival  at  Grahamstown 112 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Start  on  another  Elephant-shooting  Expedition — The  Hart  River — Nu- 
merous Pack  of  Wild  Dogs — Mahura,  Chief  of  the  Batlapis — Rumors 
of  Wars — The  Meritsane — Lotlokane — Encounter  with  two  Lions  on 
the  Molopo — Chouaney — A  tremendous  Fight  with  a  Buffalo — The 
River  Limpopo — Huge  Crocodiles — A  splendid  Hippopotamus  falls 
to  my  Rifle — Immense  Herds  of  Buffalo  crossing  the  River — The 


CONTENTS.  Vll 

Serolomootlooque  Antelope  unknown  to  Naturalists  —  A  Herd  of 
Hippopotami — Fine  Sport  beside  the  River I'age  127 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

We  cross  the  Limpopo — Rash  Eucounter  with  a  Hippopotnmus — Re- 
miirkable  dome-like  Rock — Two  Serolomootlooques  sliot — Hollow 
Trees  containing  Honey — Gigantic  Ant-hills — Hunting  across  the 
Limpopo — Another  Boa  Constrictor — A  Visit  from  Seleka — A  Sea- 
cow  shot,  which  sinks — Resurrection  of  the  Beast — Splendid  Hipjio- 
potamus  shooting 142 

CHABTER  XXVL 

Seleka's  Town  among  the  Rocks — Elephant  hunting  with  Seleka  and 
his  Men — Trading  with  Seleka — A  Lion  and  Lioness  with  their  Cubs 
— An  immense  Herd  of  Hippopotami — Nine  of  them  killed — Trap 
for  inflicting  poisoned  Wounds  on  Sea-cows — We  cross  the  Limpopo, 
and  a  Wagon  slicks  in  the  River — We  trek  down  the  Stream — Two 
of  my  best  Horses  killed  and  eaten  by  Lions — The  Chief  of  the  Ba- 
malette  visits  me — Audacity  of  the  Lions — A  Horse  killed  in  a  Pit- 
fall— A  Chief  flogged  for  catching  and  consuming  a  Horse lo6 

CHAPTER  XXVn. 
We  trek  down  the  Limpopo — Abundance  of  Sea-cows — The  Lotsano 
River — An  immense  Herd  of  Elephants — Combat  with  a  first-rate  old 
Bull — Rheumatic  Fever  attacks  me,  which  determines  our  Course 
homeward — Elephants  smashing  Forest-trees — A  Lion  canies  off  one 
of  my  Men  from  the  Fireside — The  Beast  occufjied  consuming  him 
all  Night — The  man-eating  Lion  slain — Three  Hi])popotami  shot — ' 
One  of  the  Dogs  eaten  by  a  Crocodile — The  fatal  "  Tsetse"  Fly — The 
Fountain  of  Seboono — An  old  Bull  Elephant  held  in  Check  without 
Gun  or  Dogs 170 

CHAPTER  XXVIIL 

Paapaa  Fountain — Watch  by  Moonlight  from  a  Shooting-hole — Re- 
markable Sport  with  Elephants — Four  bagged  and  eight  mortally 
wounded  in  one  Night — Elephant  Hunting  with  Horse  and  Dogs  by 
Moonlight — A  Troop  of  Lions  —  The  Vultures  with  the  shadowy 
Wings — Another  Dog  snapped  up  by  a  Crocodile — The  Skeleton  of 
an  Elephant  shot  by  me  discovered — The  Tusks  being  gone,  strong 
Measures  ai-e  adopted  for  their  Recovery 189 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

We  march  up  the  Limpopo — The  Guapa  Mountains — Immense  Variety 
of  Game — Stalk  and  shoot  two  Sable  Antelopes — Several  Hounds  lost 
— Romantic  Ravine  in  the  Guapa  Mountains — My  Forest  Home— 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

Buck  Koodoos — Stalking  Sable  Antelopes — Death  of  two  of  my  Hor. 
ses — Continue  our  March — Countless  Herds  of  Game Page  206 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
Leave  the  Pcaqijiame  Country — Absurd  Ceremony — My  Cattle  fail  me 
— Send  to  the  Missionaiy  Station  for  Aid — Encamp  near  the  Limpo- 
po— Indescriliable  Fish — A  young  Secretary — Nearly  all  my  Oxen 
die — Assistance  arrives  from  Mr.  Livingstone — We  reach  the  Resi- 
dence of  Sichely — A  Hunter's  Monument — We  continue  our  March 
through  a  beautiful  Country — Adveuture  with  two  savage  Lionesses" 
— A  violent  Tempest — Mahura — Bakalahari  driving  Game  toward 
their  Pittfalls — We  cross  the  Orange  River  and  reach  Cole&berg.  223 

CHAPTER  XXXL 

Start  on  my  fifth  and  last  Expedition  into  the  Interior — Mr.  Orpen  ac- 
companies me — Huiried  March — Extraordinary  Herd  of  Blesboks — 
The  Hart  River — Cattle  attacked  with  Hoof  Sickness — Three  Lion- 
esses fearfully  mangle  my  Pack  of  Dogs — Lion  Hunts — Hyenas  de- 
vour my  Camp-stools — Meritsane — Six  Buffaloes  shot — Another  Lion 
Hunt — Glorious  Chase  with  Elands — Sichely's  Kraal — We  cross  the 
Limpopo — A  Liou  attacks  my  Kraal  and  kills  an  Ox — A  Field  of 
Battle — Seboono — My  hundredth  Elephant! — We  march  dowm  the 
Limpopo  and  hunt  Hippopotami — Attacked  by  Rheumatic  Fever — 
Mr.  Orpeu  nearly  killed  by  a  Leopard 241 

CHAPTER  XXXn. 
Mr.  Orpen  and  myself  in  a  helpless  Condition — We  leave  the  low-lying 
Limpopo  for  the  Mountains — Trading  with  Seleka — Ceremony  to  im- 
part the  Power  of  successful  Shooting — March  to  the  Ngotwani  and 
retiace  our  Steps  to  the  Limpopo — Enormous  Herds  of  Buffaloes— 
An  exciting  Lion  Hunt — Three  of  my  Dogs  killed — The  noble  Beast 
takes  the  Water — A  bold  Mountain  Ranger — Abundance  of  Game — A 
brilliant  Lion  Hunt — Two  killed  out  of  a  Troop  of  foiu" — Rhinoceros 
Hunting  —  Leave  the  Mariqua  River  —  Sublime  Scenery  —  Another 
Lion  Hunt — A  Buffalo  rips  up  my  After-rider's  Horse — Camelopard 
Chase — Making  a  Road  to  cross  the  Ngotwani — Sudden  Encounter 
with  two  huge  Lions — Arrival  at  Sichely's  Kraal 265 

CHAPTER  XXXin. 

The  Pass  of  God — Hunt  Sable  -md  Roan  Antelope — Sesetabie — My 
Cattle-losses  in  five  Expeditious — My  Cattle  desperate  for  want  of 
Water — Trading  with  Mahura — Inspanuing  young  Oxen — We  cross 
the  Vaal  River — The  Country  densely  covered  witli  Game — An  Os- 
trich's Nest — Bloem  Vonteyn — Multitudes  of  Antelope  Skeletons 
cover  the  Plains — The  Great  Orange  River — We  are  detained  by  the 
Flood — Twenty-three  Men  drowned  in  attempting  to  cross — We  have 
to  take  the  Wagons  to  Pieces — Determine  to  revisit  Old  England 
and  transport  my  Collection  of  Trophies  thither 286 


FIVE  YEARS'   HUNTING 
ADVENTURES   IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

We  march  from  Sabie — Track  along  a  Rivei--bed — The  dry  Grass  on 
Fire  for  Miles — Glorious  Elephant  shooting — Cowardice  of  my  After- 
rider — Strange  Circumstance  at  the  Death  of  a  Bull  Elephant — A  sa- 
ble Antelope — Tete-a-tete  with  a  disabled  Elephant — The  Klip- 
epringer  Antelope — A  Pack  of  wild  Dogs  capture  and  kill  a  Koodoo 
— The  coming  of  Summer — Vast  Numbers  of  Birds  visiting  the  Fount- 
ains— My  trusty  two-grooved  Rifle  bursts — My  Snuffers,  Spoons,  and 
Candlesticks  melted  for  Bullets — Elephants  taking  a  Douche  Bath — 
Two  of  them  slain — Vet  more  Elephants — My  Horse  Colesberg  diea 
of  the  African  Distemper — Virulence  of  the  Scourge. 

I  REMAINED  at  Sabic,  hunting  elephant  and  rhinoce- 
ros with  various  success,  till  the  morning  of  the  22d 
of  August,  when  I  inspanned,  and  marched  for  Mang- 
maluky,  which  we  reached  at  sundown,  and  I  drew  up 
my  wagons  in  an  open  grassy  glade  on  a  rather  eleva- 
ted position,  commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  bold  out- 
line of  the  surrounding  mountains.  On  the  march  I 
shot  a  white  rhinoceros  in  the  act  of  charging  down 
a  rocky  face,  with  all  the  dogs  in  full  pursuit  of  him. 
The  ball  disabled  him  in  the  shoulder,  when,  pitching 
upon  his  head,  he  described  the  most  tremendous  som- 
ersault, coming  down  among  the  stones  and  bushes 
with  the  overwhelming  violence  of  an  avalanche. 

On  the  27th  I  cast  loose  my  horses  at  earliest  dawn 
of  day,  and  then  lay  half  asleep  for  two  hours,  when  I 

A2 


10  ADVENTURES    IS    SOUTH     AFRICA. 

arose  to  consume  coffee  and  rhinoce.'cs.  Having  break- 
fasted, I  started  with  a  party  of  the  natives  to  search 
for  elephants  in  a  southerly  direction.  We  held  along 
the  gravelly  bed  of  a  periodical  river,  in  which  were 
abundance  of  holes  excavated  by  the  elephants  in  quest 
of  water.  Here  the  spoor  of  rhinoceros  was  extremely 
plentiful,  and  in  every  hole  where  they  had  drunk  the 
print  of  the  horn  was  visible.  We  soon  found  the  spoor 
of  an  old  bull  elephant,  which  led  us  into  a  dense  for- 
est, where  the  ground  was  particularly  unfavorable  for 
spooring ;  we,  however,  thridded  it  out  for  a  considera- 
ble distance,  when  it  joined  the  spoor  of  other  bulls. 
The  natives  now  requested  me  to  halt,  while  men  went 
off  in  different  directions  to  reconnoiter. 

In  the  mean  time  a  tremendous  conflagration  was 
roaring  and  crackling  close  to  windward  of  us.  It  was 
caused  by  the  Bakalahari  burning  the  old  dry  grass 
to  enable  the  young  to  spring  up  with  greater  facility, 
whereby  they  retained  the  game  in  their  dominions.  The 
fire  stretched  away  for  many  miles  on  either  side  of  us, 
darkening  the  forests  far  to  leeward  with  a  dense  and 
impenetrable  canopy  of  smoke.  Here  we  remained  for 
about  half  an  hour,  when  one  of  the  men  returned,  re- 
porting that  he  had  discovered  elephants.  This  I  could 
scarcely  credit,  for  I  fancied  that  the  extensive  fire 
which  raged  so  fearfully  must  have  driven,  not  only 
elephants,  but  every  living  creature  out  of  the  district. 
The  native,  however,  pointed  to  his  eye,  repeating  th 
word  "Klow,"  and  signed  to  me  to  follow  him.-  My 
guide  led  me  about  a  mile  through  dense  forest,  when 
we  reached  a  little  well-wooded  hill,  to  whose  summit 
we  ascended,  whence  a  view  might  have  been  obtain- 
ed of  the  surrounding  country,  had  not  volumes  of 
smoke  obscured  the  scenery  far  and  wide,  as  though 


A    HERD    OF    BULL    ELEPHANTS.  H 

issuing  from  the  funnels  of  a  thousand  steam-boats. 
Here,  to  my  astonishment,  my  guide  halted,  and  point- 
ed to  the  thiclcet  close  beneath  me,  when  I  instantly 
perceived  the  colossal  backs  of  a  herd  of  bull  elephants. 
There  they  stood,  quietly  browsing  on  the  lee  side  of 
the  hill,  while  the  fire  in  its  might  was  raging  to  wind- 
ward within  two  hundred  yards  of  them. 

I  directed  Johannus  to  choose  an  elephant,  and  prom- 
ised to  reward  him  should  he  prove  successful.  Gal- 
loping furiously  down  the  hill,  I  started  the  elephants 
with  an  unearthly  yell,  and  instantly  selected  the  finest 
bull  in  the  herd.  Placing  myself  alongside,  I  fired  both 
barrels  behind  his  shoulder,  when  he  instantly  turned 
upon  me,  and  in  his  impetuous  career  charged  head 
foremost  into  a  large  bushy  tree,  which  he  sent  flying 
before  him  high  in  the  air  with  tremendous  force,  com- 
ing down  at  the  same  moment  violently  on  his  knees. 
He  then  met  the  raging  fire,  when,  altering  his  course, 
he  wheeled  to  the  right-about.  As  I  galloped  after  him 
I  perceived  another  noble  elephant  meeting  us  in  an 
opposite  direction,  and  presently  the  gallant  Johannus 
hove  in  sight,  following  his  quarry  at  a  respectful  dis- 
tance. Both  elephants  held  on  together;  so  I  shouted 
to  Johannus,  "  I  will  give  your  elephant  a  shot  in  the 
shoulder,  and  you  must  try  to  finish  him."  Spurring 
ray  horse,  I  rode  close  alongside,  and  gave  the  fresh  ele- 
phant two  balls  immediately  behind  the  shoulder,  when 
he  parted  from  mine,  Johannus  following;  but  before 
many  minutes  had  elapsed  that  mighty  Nimrod  reap- 
peared, having  fired  one  shot  and  lost  his  prey. 

In  the  mean  time  I  was  loading  and  firing  as  fast  as 
could  be,  sometimes  at  the  head,  and  sometimes  behind 
the  shfulder,  until  my  elephant's  fore  quarters  were  a 
mass  of  gore,  notwithstanding  which  he  continued  to 


12  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

hold  stoutly  on,  leaving  the  grass  and  branches  of  the 
forest  scarlet  in  his  wake. 

On  one  occasion  he  endeavored  to  escape  by  charg- 
ing desperately  amid  the  thickest  of  the  flames ;  but 
this  did  not  avail,  and  I  was  soon  once  more  alongside. 
I  blazed  away  at  this  elephant  until  I  began  to  think 
that  he  was  proof  against  my  weapons.  Having  fired 
thirty-five  rounds  with  my  two-grooved  rifle,  I  opened 
fire  upon  him  with  the  Dutch  six-pounder;  and  when 
forty  bullets  had  perforated  his  hide,  he  began  for  the 
first  time  to  evince  signs  of  a  dilapidated  constitution. 
He  took  up  a  position  in  a  grove  ;  and  as  the  dogs  kept 
barking  round  him,  he  backed  stern  foremost  among 
the  trees,  which  yielded  before  his  gigantic  strength. 
Poor  old  fellow !  he  had  long  braved  my  deadly  shafts, 
but  I  plainly  saw  that  it  was  now  all  over  with  him  ; 
BO  I  resolved  to  expend  no  further  ammunition,  but  hold 
him  in  view  until  he  died.  Throughout  the  chase  this 
elephant  repeatedly  cooled  his  person  with  large  quan- 
tities of  water,  which  he  ejected  from  his  trunk  over 
his  back  and  sides  ;  and  just  as  the  pangs  of  death  came 
over  him,  he  stood  trembling  violently  beside  a  thorny 
tree,  and  kept  pouring  water  into  his  bloody  mouth 
until  he  died,  when  he  pitched  heavily  forward,  with 
the  whole  weight  of  his  fore  quarters  resting  on  the 
points  of  his  tusks. 

A  most  singular  occurrence  now  took  place.  He  lay 
in  this  posture  for  several  seconds;  but  the  amazing 
pressure  of  the  carcass  was  more  than  the  head  was 
able  to  support.  He  had  fallen  with  his  head  so  short 
under  him  that  the  tusks  received  little  assistance  from 
his  legs.  Something  must  give  way.  The  strain  on 
the  mighty  tusks  was  fair;  they  did  not,  therefore, 
yield;  but  the  portion  of  his  head  in  which  the  tusk 


A    SABLE    ANTELOPE.  13 

was  imbedded,  extending  a  long  way  above  the  eye, 
yielded  and  burst  with  a  muffled  crash.  The  tusk 
was  thus  free,  and  turned  right  round  in  liis  head,  so 
that  a  man  could  draw  it  out,  and  the  carcass  fell  over 
and  rested  on  its  side.  This  was  a  very  first-rate  ele- 
phant, and  the  tusks  he  carried  were  long  and  perfect. 

On  the  28th  I  saddled  up  and  rode  for  the  wagons, 
steering  my  course  by  the  lofty  pyramidal  mountain, 
in  whose  vicinity  they  were  drawn  up.  The  remain- 
der of  the  day  was  spent  in  constructing  a  loading-rod 
of  rhinoceros-horn  and  writing  up  the  log.  ^t  an  early 
hour  on  the  29th  I  started  a  party  of  the  natives,  bear- 
ing my  impedimenta,  to  await  me  at  the  carcass  of 
the  last  elephant ;  and  in  the  forenoon  I  held  thither, 
accompanied  by  Johannus.  Cantering  along  through 
the  forest,  I  came  suddenly  in  full  view  of  one  of  the 
loveliest  animals  which  graces  this  fair  creation.  This 
was  an  old  buck  of  the  sable  antelope,  the  rarest  and 
most  beautiful  animal  in  Africa.  It  is  large  and  pow- 
erful, partaking  considerably  of  the  nature  of  the  ibex. 
Its  back  and  sides  are  of  glossy  black,  beautifully  con- 
trasting with  the  belly,  which  is  white  as  driven  snow. 
The  horns  are  upward  of  three  feet  in  length,  and  bend 
strongly  back  with  a  bold  sweep,  reaching  nearly  to  the 
haunches. 

This  animal  was  first  discovered  by  Captain  Harris, 
of  the  Bombay  Engineers,  in  1837.  As  I  subsequently 
devoted  a  great  deal  of  time  in  the  pursuit  of  this  ante- 
lope, I  shall  not  here  make  any  remarks  concerning 
him.  The  one  which  was  now  before  me  was  the  first 
I  had  seen,  and  I  shall  never  foi'get  the  sensations  I  ex- 
perienced on  beholding  a  sight  so  thrilling  to  the  sports- 
man's eye.  He  stood  with  a  small  troop  of  pallahs  right 
in  our  path,  and  had  unfortunately  detected  us  before 


14  ADVENTURES    IN    SC;raT    AFRICA. 

we  saw  him.  Shouting  to  my  pack,  I  galloped  after 
him;  but  the  day  was  close  and  warm,  and  the  dogs 
had  lost  their  spirit  with  the  sun.  My  horse  being  an 
indifferent  one,  I  soon  lost  ground,  and  the  beautiful 
sable  antelope,  gaining  a  rocky  ridge,  was  very  soon 
beyond  my  reach,  and  vanished  forever  from  my  view. 
I  then  rode  on  for  the  carcass  of  the  elephant,  where  I 
took  up  my  quarters  for  the  night,  but  I  sought  in  vain 
to  close  my  eyelids:  the  image  of  the  sable  antelope 
was  still  before  me,  and  I  slept  little  throughout  the 
night. 

On  the  31st  I  held  southeast  in  quest  of  elephants, 
with  a  large  party  of  the  natives.  Our  course  lay 
through  an  open  part  of  the  forest,  where  I  beheld  a 
troop  of  springboks  and  two  ostriches,  the  first  I  had 
seen  for  a  long  time.  We  held  for  Towannie,  a  strong 
fountain  in  the  gravelly  bed  of  a  periodical  river:  here 
two  herds  of  cow  elephants  had  drunk  on  the  preced- 
ing evening,  but  I  declined  to  follow  them ;  and  pres- 
ently, at  a  muddy  fountain  a  little  in  advance,  we  took 
up  the  spoor  of  an  enormous  bull,  which  had  wallowed 
in  the  mud,  and  then  plastered  the  sides  of  several  of 
the  adjacent  veteran-looking  trees.  We  followed  the 
spoor  through  level  forest  in  an  easterly  direction,  when 
the  leading  party  overran  the  spoor,  and  casts  were 
made  for  its  recovery.  Presently  I  detected  an  excit- 
ed native  beckoning  violently  a  little  to  my  left,  and, 
cantering  up  to  him,  he  said  that  he  had  seen  the  ele- 
phant. He  led  me  through  the  forest  a  few  hundred 
yards,  when,  clearing  a  wait-a-bit,  I  came  full  in  vidw 
of  the  tallest  and  largest  bull  elephant  I  had  ever  seen. 
He  stood  broadside  to  me,  at  upward  of  one  hundred 
yards,  and  his  attention  at  the  moment  was  occupied 
with  the  dogs,  which,  unaware  of  his  proximity,  were 


EXPERrMENTAL    SK0T3.  !5 

rushing  past  him,  while  the  old  fellow  ge5m<?d  t<-)  pazo 
at  their  unwonted  appearance  with  surprise 

Halting  my  horse,  I  fired  at  his  shoulder,  and  ,'ieonr- 
ed  him  with  a  single  shot.  The  ball  caught  him  I'.i^h 
upon  the  shoulder-blade,  rendering  him  instantly  dead 
lame ;  and  before  the  echo  of  the  bullet  could  reach 
my  ear,  I  plainly  saw  that  the  elephant  was  mine.  The 
dogs  now  came  up  and  barked  around  him,  but,  finding 
himself  incapacitated,  the  old  fellow  seemed  determin- 
ed to  take  it  easy,  and,  limping  slowlv  to  a  neighbor- 
ing tree,  he  remained  stationary,  eyeii^  his  pursuers 
with  a  resigned  and  philosophic  air. 

I  resolved  to  devote  a  short  time  to  the  contempla.ion 
of  this  noble  elephant  before  I  should  lay  him  low  ;  ac- 
cordingly, having  ofi'-saddled  the  horses  beneath  a  shady 
tree  which  was  to  be  my  quarters  for  the  night  and  en- 
suing day,  I  quickly  kindled  a  fire  and  put  on  the  ket- 
tle, and  in  a  very  few  minutes  my  coffee  was  prepared 
There  1  sat  in  my  forest  home,  coolly  sipping  my  coffee, 
with  one  of  the  finest  elephants  in  Africa  awaiting  my 
pleasure  beside  a  neighboring  tree. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  striking  scene  ;  and  as  I  gazed  upon 
the  stupendous  veteran  of  the  forest,  I  thought  of  the 
red  deer  which  I  loved  to  follow  in  my  native  land,  and 
felt  that,  though  the  Fates  had  driven  me  to  follow  a 
more  daring  and  arduous  avocation  in  a  distant  land,  it 
was  a  good  exchange  which  I  had  made,  for  I  was  now 
a  chief  over  boundless  forests,  which  yielded  unspeak- 
ably more  noble  and  exciting  sport. 

Having  admired  the  elephant  for  a  considerable  time, 
I  resolved  to  make  experiments  for  vulnerable  points, 
and,  approaching  very  near,  I  fired  several  bullets  at 
different  parts  of  his  enormous  skull.  These  did  not 
aeem  to  affect  him  in  the  slightest ;  he  only  acknowl- 


16  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

'dgod  the  shots  by  a  "salaam-like"  movement  of  his 
trunk,  with  the  point  of  which  he  gently  touched  tlie 
Auund  with  a  strikmg  and  peculiar  action.  Surprised 
and  shocked  to  find  that  I  v/as  only  tormenting  and 
prolongmg  the  sufferings  of  the  noble  beast,  which  bore 
his  trials  with  such  dignified  composure,  I  resolved  to 
finish  the  proceeding  with  all  possible  dispatch  ;  accord- 
ingly, I  opened  fire  upon  him  from  the  left  side,  aiming 
behind  the  shoulder  ;  but  even  there  it  was  long  before 
my  bullets  seemed  to  take  effect.  I  first  fired  six  shots 
with  the  two-grooved,  which  must  have  eventually 
proved  mortal,  but  as  yet  he  evinced  no  visible  distress; 
after  which  I  fired  three  shots  at  the  same  part  with 
the  Dutch  six-pounder.  Large  tears  now  trickled  from 
his  eyes,  which  he  slowly  shut  and  opened  ;  his  colossal 
frame  quivered  convulsively,  and,  falling  on  his  side,  he 
expired.  The  tusks  of  this  elephant  were  beautifully 
arched,  and  were  the  heaviest  I  had  yet  met  with, 
averaging  ninety  pounds  weight  apiece. 

On  the  1st  of  September — so  full  of  interest  to  the 
British  Nimrod — we  saddled  our  steeds  and  steered  our 
course  for  Mangmaluky.  Cantering  along  the  base  of 
a  mountain  range,  I  started  two  klipspringers,  which 
went  bounding  up  the  mountain  side  with  the  elasticity 
of  an  India-rubber  ball,  selecting  for  their  path  the  most 
prominent  points  of  the  large  fragments  of  rock  of  which 
the  mountain  side  was  chiefly  composed.  I  shot  one 
of  these,  being  the  first  of  the  species  I  had  killed, 
though  in  subsequent  years,  while  hunting  the  sable 
antelope,  I  secured  a  number  of  fine  specimens.  This 
darling  little  antelope  frequents  precipitous  rocky  hills 
&nd  mountains,  and  bounds  along  over  the  broken 
masses  of  rock  with  the  most  extraordinary  ease  and 
agility :  it  may  often  be  seen  perched,  like  a  chamois, 


KLIPSPRIXGERS KOODOO BULL    ELEPIIAHT.  17 

on  the  sharp  pinnacle  of  some  rock  or  stone,  with  its 
four  feet  drawn  close  up  together.  Its  hoofs  are  differ- 
ent from  those  of  other  antelopes,  being  suited  solely 
for  rocky  ground,  and  ar3  so  formed  that  the  weight  of 
the  animal  rests  upon  their  tips.  On  looking  down  a 
precipice  I  have  oftrsn  seen  two  or  three  of  this  interest- 
ing antelope  lying  together  on  a  large  flat  mass  of  rock, 
and  sheltered  from  the  power  of  the  noonday  sun  by 
the  friendly  shade  of  some  sandal- wood  or  other  mount- 
ain tree.  They  are  about  half  the  size  of  the  Scottish 
roebuck,  whose  winter  coat  the  texture  of  their  hair  very 
much  resembles,  but  it  is  stiffer,  and  of  a  yellower  color. 
On  the  afternoon  of  the  2d,  as  I  was  sitting  in  my 
wagon  writing  up  my  journal,  a  koodoo  charged  past 
me,  closely  followed  by  a  pack  of  hungry  wild  dogs, 
which  maintained  their  position  although  my  kennel 
joined  them  in  the  chase,  and,  holding  on,  the  wild  dogs 
killed  the  koodoo  just  as  it  reached  the  water  where  my 
oxen  drank.  On  the  3d  I  took  the  field  with  Johannus 
and  a  small  party  of  Bakalahari,  and  held  a  northerly 
direction.  After  following  the  spoor  of  four  bull  ele- 
phants for  many  miles  in  a  semicircular  course,  we 
came  up  with  them  in  extremely  dangerous  and  un- 
favorable ground,  when  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  se- 
cure the  finest,  after  a  severe  and  dangerous  conflict, 
during  which,  on  three  separate  occasions,  I  narrowly 
escaped  destruction.  The  horse  I  rode  was  "Coles- 
berg,"  which,  as  usual,  capered  and  balked  me  when  I 
tried  to  fire  from  his  back  ;  when  I  dismounted,  he 
seemed  to  take  a  pleasure  in  jerking  my  arm  as  I  was 
taking  aim  ;  and  on  the  elephant  charging,  he  declined 
permitting  me  to  regain  the  saddle.  This  elephant  was 
a  first-rate  bull,  with  large  and  perfect  tusks :  he  fell 
within  three  hundred  yards  of  the  fountainb,  where  I 


18  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICi. 

found  a  black  rhinoceros  which  I  wounded  on  the  31&1 
of  August.  The  sun  was  powerful  throughout  the  day , 
the  months  of  winter  were  gone  by,  and  summer  was 
rapidly  advancing.  The  trees  were  budding  and  put- 
ting forth  leaves,  which  loaded  the  passing  breeze  with 
a  sweet  and  balmy  fragrance.  In  low-lying  districts 
the  young  grass  had  already  commenced  to  shoot  forth 
:ts  tender  blades,  and  all  nature  seemed  to  pant  for  the 
grateful  rains  to  robe  herself  in  her  mantle  of  summer 
verdure. 

In  the  evening  I  laved  in  the  fountain  my  sunburned 
eyes,  which  were  sore  and  irritated  from  the  constant 
strain  necessarily  concomitant  on  spooring;  after  which 
I  sat  for  a  long  time  silently  contemplating  the  tran- 
quil scene.  As  the  sun  went  down,  the  number  of  the 
feathered  tribe  that  visited  the  fountains  was  truly  sur- 
prising :  turtle-doves,  and  extremely  small,  long-tailed 
pigeons,  were  most  abundant.  These  kept  collecting 
from  every  side,  uttering  their  gentle  notes,  till  the 
trees  and  bushes  around  the  glade  were  thickly  covered 
with  them.  I  also  observed  four  distinct  varieties  of 
partridge ;  and  Guinea-fowls  attended  in  flocks  of  from 
twenty  to  sixty.  On  the  4th,  having  few  followers,  I 
was  occupied  from  early  dawn  until  the  sun  was  under 
in  cleaning  the  skull  and  hewing  out  the  tusks  of  my 
bull  elephant,  and  on  the  following  day  I  returned  to 
camp  with  a  party  of  Bakalahari  bearing  them  upon 
their  shoulders.  On  the  6th  I  took  the  field  with  about 
forty  natives,  and  held  through  the  forest  in  a  south- 
easterly direction.  Falling  i:\  with  two  white  rhinoce  ■ 
roses,  one  of  which  carried  an  unusually  long  horn,  I 
was  induced  to  give  her  chase,  and  by  hard  riding  I 
soon  overtook  and  finished  her  with  four  shots  behind 
the  shiQulder. 


THE    TRUSTY    TWO-GROOVED    RIFLE    BURSTS.  19 

In  the  afternoon  I  was  engaged  for  many  hours  com- 
bating with  a  vicious  elephant,  which  I  linished  with 
thirty-five  bullets  in  the  shoulder,  in  an  impracticable 
jungle  of  wait-a-bit  thorns.  The  conflict  was  greatly 
prolonged  by  "  The  Immense  Brute,"  which  capered 
continually,  and  constantly  destroyed  the  correctness 
of  my  aim.  While  I  was  fighting  with  this  elephant, 
my  dogs  were  combating  with  a  younger  bull,  which 
they  hunted  backward  and  forward  in  the  sanie  thicket 
with  myself.  This  elephant  took  up  a  position  beside 
the  one  which  had  fallen,  and  the  dogs  continued  bark- 
ing around  him.  My  rifle  being  now  extremely  dirty, 
I  experienced  considerable  difficulty  in  ramming  home 
the  balls,  notwithstanding  the  power  of  my  rhinoceros- 
horn  loading-rod.  This  being  accomplished,  I  ran  cau- 
tiously within  twenty  yards  of  this  second  elephant, 
and,  resting  my  rifle  on  a  branch,  aimed  for  his  heart 
and  pressed  the  trigger.  Alas  !  it  was  for  the  last  time. 
The  barrel  burst  with  a  terrific  explosion,  sending  the 
Locks  and  half  the  stock  flying  riglit  and  left,  and  very 
nearly  sending  me  to  "  the  land  of  the  leal."  I,  how- 
ever, received  no  further  damage  than  a  slight  burn  on 
my  left  arm,  and  the  loss  for  many  days  of  the  use  of 
my  left  ear,  a  fragment  of  the  barrel  having  whizzed 
close  past  it.  At  first  I  was  so  stunned  that  I  knew 
not  if  I  were  wounded  or  not,  and  on  recovering  from 
the  shock  my  person  underwent  a  strict  scrutiny.  Be- 
fore I  discovered  these  elephants  I  was  faint  from  thirst, 
and  quite  done  up  with  the  power  of  the  sun,  owing  to 
which  I  considered  that  I  did  not  attack  the  elephant 
so  bravely  as  I  might  otherwise  have  done. 

The  loss  of  my  trusty  two-grooved  rifle,  in  such  a  re- 
mote corner  of  the  world,  was  irreparable,  and  cut  me 
to  the  heart.     It  was  my  main  stay  ;  and  as  I  thought 


20  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUrH    AFRICA. 

of  the  many  services  it  had  performed  for  me  in  the 
hour  of  need,  I  mourned  over  it  as  David  mourned  for 
Absalom,  On  the  evening  of  the  7th  I  returned  to 
Mangmaluky  under  a  burning  sun,  which  continued 
oppressive  throughout  the  day.  Having  lost  my  two- 
grooved  rifle,  I  resolved  to  try  what  could  be  done  with 
the  double-barreled  Moore  and  Purdey  rifles,  carrying 
sixteen  to  the  pound,  and  I  accordingly  set  about  cast- 
ing hardened  bullets  to  suit  them.  For  this  purpose  I 
had  brought  in  with  me  a  quantity  of  solder,  but  I  now 
had  the  mortification  to  discover  that  all  that  I  had  pos- 
sessed of  this  important  article  had  mysteriously  van- 
ished by  some  underhand  transaction  between  my  fol- 
lowers and  Sicomy.  I  was  thus  reduced  to  the  extrem- 
ity of  melting  the  contents  of  my  old  military  canteen 
to  harden  the  bullets ;  and  upon  overhauling  it,  I  as- 
certained that  the  tray  of  the  snuflers,  the  spoons,  can- 
dlesticks, tea-pots,  and  cwo  drinking-cups,  were  admi- 
rably suited  for  this  purpose,  and  I  accordingly  ser 
tenced  them  to  undergo  the  fiery  ordeal  of  the  ladle. 

In  the  evening  I  had  much  pleasure  to  behold  m  .■ 
old  frienil  Mutchuisho  walk  into  my  camp,  followed  by 
a  numerous  party  of  the  natives.  He  seemed  glad  tc 
see  me,  and  we  at  once  arranged  to  make  an  expedi- 
tion to  the  eastward  on  the  following  day.  According- 
ly, on  the  morning  of  the  9th  I  took  the  field  with  Jo- 
hannus  and  Mutchuisho,  and  about  eighty  men,  and 
proceeded  in  a  southeasterly  direction.  We  continued 
our  course  till  the  sun  went  down  without  finding  fresh 
spoor,  when  we  halted  for  the  night  to  leeward  of  a 
fountain,  wdiere  we  hoped  that  elephants  would  come 
to  drink.  The  heat  throughout  the  day  had  been  most 
oppressive,  the  dense  level  forest  rendering  it  still  more 
insupportable.     On  the  morrow  we  cast  loose  the  horses 


ELEPHANT    SPOORING.  21 

oo  graze  long  before  the  dawn  of  day.  No  elephants 
had  visited  the  fountain ;  so,  after  an  early  breakfast, 
we  saddled  up,  and  again  held  on  in  an  easterly  direc- 
tion through  boundless  forests,  till  I  found  myself  in  a 
30untry  which  I  had  not  hitherto  visited.  Passing 
along  beneath  a  rocky  hillock,  we  started  a  detachment 
of  hideous  hyaenas,  which  sought  shelter  from  the  sun 
beneath  the  shadow  of  the  rocks.  We  passed  several 
large  herds  of  lovely  camelopards,  and  I  also  obtained 
two  very  deadly  chances  of  rhinoceros,  both  fine  old 
bulls  ;  but  knowing  well  from  past  experience  that  mj 
policy  was  to  keep  my  followers  hungry,  I  refrained 
trom  firing  a  single  shot. 

In  the  afternoon  we  reached  a  small  vley,  where  five 
first-rate  bull  elephants  had  drunk  on  the  preceding 
evening.  Here  my  followers  all  sat  down  and  rested 
for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  a  wild  duck  swimming  fear- 
lessly beside  us.  We  then  took  up  the  spoor,  but,  as 
it  was  late  in  the  day,  I  had  not  the  slightest  expecta- 
tion of  success,  and  was  so  done  up  with  the  power  of 
the  sun  that  I  felt  it  irksoroc  to  sit  in  the  saddle.  The 
spoor  led  east,  right  away  from  camp,  but  the  elephants 
seemed  to  have  proceeded  slowly,  having  extended  wide- 
ly from  one  another,  and  rent  and  uprooted  an  amazing 
number  of  goodly  trees.  Presently  the  spoor  took  a 
turn  to  our  left,  when  I  grieved  to  remark  that  we  were 
following  it  down  the  wind  ;  thus  we  eventually  started 
the  elephants,  which  were  feeding  in  the  forest  at  no 
great  distance,  but,  owing  to  a  check  among'  the  track- 
ers, we  were  not  aware  of  this  until  the  elephants  had 
gained  a  considerable  start. 

On  finding  that  they  were  gone,  Johannus  and  I 
went  ofTon  the  spoor  at  a  rapid  pace,  but  I  had  not  the 
slightest  expectation  of  overtaking  them  ;   for  it  was  so 


22  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

late  that,  even  if  I  had  already  commenced  the  attack, 
the  chances  were  that  before  I  could  finish  one  the  night 
would  have  set  in.  It  is  much  easier  to  hold  the  spoor 
of  a  herd  of  elephants  that  have  been  alarmed  than  to 
follow  those  which  have  been  undisturbed,  since  the  for- 
mer adopt  a  decided  course,  and  follow  one  another  in  a 
direct  line.  Thus  we  were  enabled  to  hold  the  spoor  at  a 
gallop  without  a  check  until  our  horses  began  to  evince 
distress ;  and,  despairing  of  success,  I  was  just  going  to 
pull  up,  when  I  heard  Johannus  exclaim,  "Sir,  sir,  dar 
stand  ilia,"  and,  looking  before  me,  I  beheld  five  enor- 
mous old  bull  elephants  walking  slowly  along.  They 
seemed  heated  by  the  pace  at  which  they  had  retreat- 
ed, and  were  now  refreshing  themselves  with  large  vol- 
umes of  water,  which  nature  enables  them  to  discharge 
from  their  capacious  stomachs,  and  shower  back  upon 
their  bodies  with  their  extraordinary  trunks.  I  over- 
took these  elephants  in  open  ground,  which  enabled  me 
at  once  to  make  a  fine  selection.  I  had  never  before 
obtained  so  satisfactory  a  view  of  a  herd  of  bulls  :  they 
really  looked  wondrous  vast.  It  is  a  heart-stirring  sight 
to  behold  one  bull  elephant ;  but  when  five  gigantic  old 
fellows  are  walking  slowly  along  before  you,  and  you 
feel  that  you  can  ride  up  and  vanquish  whichever  one 
you  fancy,  it  is  so  overpoweringly  exciting  that  it  al- 
most takes  a  man's  breath  away  ;  but  it  was  now  too 
late  in  the  day  to  part  with  my  breath  for  a  single  mo- 
ment. Johannus  whispered  to  me  to  wait  a  little,  to 
allow  the  horses  to  recover  their  wind  ;  but  Wolf  dash- 
ing in  upon  them,  I  was  obliged  to  follow  to  obtain  an 
accurate  selection  of  the  tusks.  Spurring  my  horse, 
in  another  moment  I  was  in  the  middle  of  them,  closely 
followed  by  Johannus ;  and  in  a  twinkling  the  finest 
bull  had  received  the  contents  of  the  Moore  and  Pur- 


TWO  BULL  ELrPHANTS  SHOT.  23 

dey  behind  the  shoulder.  I  was  now  joined  by  Wolf, 
who  rendered  me  important  service  by  considerably  en- 
grossing the  attention  of  tiie  elephant,  running  .bark- 
ing before  him  as  he  charged.  I  was  in  a  precious  hur- 
ry, as  the  sun  was  setting,  and  I  kept  loading  and  firing 
at  dueling  distance.  On  receiving  the  twenty-fourth 
shot  he  stood  trembling  violently  for  several  seconds, 
and  then  fell  heavily  forward  on  his  tusks,  after  which 
he  rolled  over  and  rested  on  his  side.  I  reckoned  this 
to  be  a  fortunate  conclusion  after  the  hard  and  toilsome 
day  I  had  spent  under  the  power  of  a  scorcliing  sun. 
Mutchuisho  and  the  natives  soon  made  their  appear- 
ance, all  in  wondrous  good  humor  at  our  success. 

The  nearest  water  to  this  elephant  was  in  a  vley  sit- 
uated several  miles  to  the  eastward  ;  and  when  the  na- 
tives had  constructed  a  number  of  water-bags  of  the 
under  skin  of  the  elephant,  a  watering  party  was  dis- 
patched with  these  and  a  number  of  calabashes  which 
they  always  carried  along  with  them.  This  party  re- 
joined us  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  and  reported  that 
while  they  were  filling  their  water-bags  at  one  side  of 
the  vley,  a  troop  of  bull  elephants  were  drinking  at  the 
other.  Accordingly,  on  the  morrow  I  went  in  quest  of 
these,  accompanied  by  Mutchuisho  and  a  small  party, 
and  on  the  second  day  came  up  with  them  and  bagged  an 
old  bull,  whose  tusks  were  the  stoutest  I  had  ever  seen. 

On  the  morrow  I  cast  loose  the  steeds  at  earliest 
dawn,  and  soon  after  we  heard  the  hoarse  cry  of  an  ele- 
phant within  half  a  mile  of  us.  I  permitted  my  horses 
to  graze  while  the  dew  was  on  the  grass,  after  which, 
along  with  the  dogs,  I  sent  them  to  water  with  a  party 
of  Bakalahari  at  a  fountain  reported  three  miles  dis- 
tant, and  in  the  mean  time  I  regaled  myself  with  cof- 
fee and  rhinoceros. 


24  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH  AFRICA. 

It  is  extraordinary  how  soon  the  mind  accustoms  i*/. 
self  to  every  thing,  good  or  bad.  There  I  sat  taking 
my  breakfast,  with  a  troop  of  princely  elephants  feed- 
ing v/ithin  a  few  minutes'  ride  of  me,  with  as  much  in- 
difference as  if  I  were  going  woodcock  shooting.  1  cer- 
tainly did  not  feel  half  so  anxious  about  the  matter  as 
I  usually  did  when  taking  my  breakfast  on  a  fine  May 
morning,  with  a  southerly  wind,  before  starting  to  fish 
my  native  river.  This  indifference  was  probably  ow- 
ing to  the  reduced  state  of  my  system  from  improper 
diet  and  constant  toil. 

When  the  Bakalahari  returned  with  the  dogs  and 
horses,  they  reported  fresh  spoor  of  bull  elephants  by 
the  fountain  ;  and  at  the  same  moment  another  party, 
whom  Mutohuisho  had  dispatched  in  the  direction  of 
ihe  cry,  returned  to  say  that  it  was  a  herd  of  bulls 
which  we  had  heard  that  morning.  This  was  very 
pleasing  intelligence,  for  I  had  fancied  that  the  ele- 
phants must  be  a  troop  of  cows,  w^hose  traces  we  had 
observed  on  the  preceding  evening.  Every  thing  being 
ready,  we  made  for  the  elephants,  and,  as  we  approach- 
ed them,  an  old  bull  rhinoceros  was  detected  standing 
within  forty  yards,  which,  as  if  aware  that  I  dared  not 
fire  on  him,  kept  trotting  along  the  path  before  me. 
We  discovered  the  elephants  quietly  browsing  on  very 
unfavorable  ground,  the  greater  part  of  the  forest  con- 
sisting of  the  ever-recurring  wait-a-bits.  The  troop  was 
composed  of  three  old  bulls,  two  of  which  carried  stumpy 
and  broken  tusks. 

On  the  evening  of  the  20th,  after  bowling  over  an- 
other elephant  with  a  splendid  pair  of  tusks,  I  returned 
to  camp,  where,  to  my  utter  horror,  I  found  my  favor- 
ite Colesberg  dangerously  ill.  Guessing  that  it  was 
the  distemper,  I  had  him  up  instantly  and  bled  him 


DEATH    OF    COLESBERG.  25 

freely,  but  to  no  purpose.  Finding  him  worse  on  the 
morrow,  I  bled  him  again,  but  before  mid-day  he  died 
in  great  pain,  and  shortly  after  life  had  departed  a  co- 
pious discharge  of  white  foam  issued  from  his  nostrils,, 
by  which  I  knew  that  his  illness  was  the  African  dis- 
temper.* 

I  had  also  the  mortification  to  observe  that  "  The  Im- 
mense Brute"  was  affected,  evincing  symptoms  similar 
to  those  of  Colesberg,  on  which  I  had  him  caught  and 
bled  him  freely.  About  the  hour  of  mid-day  we  got 
under  way,  when  I  trekked  till  sundown  in  a  south- 
westerly course,  steering  for  the  mountains  of  Baman- 
gwato.  I  formed  my  encampment  beside  a  Uttle  fount- 
ain, whose  name  I  never  ascertained. 

*  This  bitter  scourge  of  the  African  sportsman  prevails  throughout 
every  district  of  the  interior  during  the  greater  part  of  the  year.  At 
no  season  is  the  hunter's  stud  exempt  from  its  ravages;  it  is  most  prev- 
alent, however,  during  the  summer  months,  generally  commencing 
with  the  early  rains.  There  are  various  opinions  among  the  horse- 
breeders  of  the  colony  regarding  its  prevention  and  cure ;  but,  not- 
vcithstanding  all  that  has  been  done  and  said,  the  subject  still  remains 
wrapped  in  utter  mystery.  The  distemper  rarely  visits  districts  adja- 
cent to  the  sea,  and  is  also  unusual  in  moiuitain  districts.  In  propor- 
tion as  the  traveler  advances  from  the  sea,  so  will  he  find  the  sickness 
prevalent.  In  all  years  it  is  not  alike,  and  every  fifth  or  seventh  year 
it  ravages  the  farms  ou  the  frontier  districts,  where  a  farmer  often  loses 
from  fifty  to  a  hundred  horses  in  a  single  season.  Bleeding  is  gen- 
erally believed  to  act  as  a  preventive.  When  a  horse  is  attacked  with 
it,  he  almost  invariably  comes  up  to  his  master's  wagon,  or  the  door  of 
his  dwelling-place,  as  if  soliciting  assistance  in  his  deep  distress,  and 
»vhen  led  away  to  a  distance,  unless  he  be  secured,  the  poor  animal 
will  continue  to  return  to  his  master's  dwelling.  This  was  the  case 
AHth  my  much-lamented  Colesberg,  of  the  free  and  fiery  indoraitaole 
spirit. 

Vol.  IL-  B 


26  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Turn  my  Wagons  toward  the*Co]ony — A  Troop  of  Elephants  ia  Indian 
File — Splendid  Sport  among  them — Two  of  them  break  their  Tusks 
in  falling — The  Rainy  Season  conunences — Erection  of  a  Botliy — 
The  gigantic  Nwana-tree — Sicomy's  Mountain  Kraal — Four  of  his 
Subjects  become  my  Servants — Corriebely — The  Natives  astonished 
by  my  finding  a  Mine  of  Lead — Elephant  shooting — Leave  the  Land 
of  Elephants — BoStlouamy — Terrific  Thunder-storm. 

Having  so  far  succeeded  in  the  object  of  my  expedi- 
tion, and  both  my  wagons  being  now  heavily  laden  with 
the  tusks  of  elephants  and  a  large  collection  of  the  spoils 
of  the  case,  with  a  number  of  other  interesting  curios- 
ities, I  at  length  resolved  once  more  to  turn  my  face  to* 
ward  the  distant  dwellings  of  my  countrymen.  On  the 
23d  of  September,  however,  although  harassed  in  my 
mind,  and  fearing  to  lose  all  my  horses  if  I  did  not 
speedily  forsake  the  country,  I  yielded  to  my  inclination, 
and  the  persuasions  of  Mutchuisho,  once  more  to  take 
the  field,  and  follow  the  spoor  of  two  bull  elephants,  re- 
ported to  have  visited  a  distant  fountain.  Before  start- 
ing I  gave  Johannus  my  phlegme,  and  a  hasty  lesson  in 
the  art  of  bleeding,  with  instructions  to  bleed  copiously 
any  of  my  stud  evincing  the  slightest  symptoms  of  dis- 
temper. We  held  an  easterly  course,  and  at  sundown 
on  the  second  day  I  bagged  a  white  rhinoceros  and  a 
fine  old  bull  elephant,  beside  whose  carcass  I  bivouack- 
ed as  usual.  On  the  forenoon  of  the  25th  I  saddled  up 
and  held  for  camp,  accompanied  by  only  one  attendant. 

It  was  a  glorious  day,  with  a  cloudy  sky,  and  the 
wind  blew  fresh  off  the  Southern  Ocean.     Havinfj  rid« 


HERD    OF    ELEPHANTS.  27 

den  some  miles  in  a  northerly  direction,  we  crossed  the 
broad  and  gravelly  bed  of  a  periodical  river,  in  which 
were  abundance  of  holes  excavated  by  the  elephants, 
containing  delicious  water.  Having  passed  the  river, 
we  entered  an  entensive  grove  of  picturesque  cameel- 
dorn  trees,  clad  in  young  foliage  of  the  most  delicious 
green.  On  gaining  a  gentle  eminence  about  a  mile  be- 
yond this  grove,  I  looked  forth  upon  an  extensive  hol- 
low, where  I  beheld  for  the  first  time  for  many  days  a 
fine  old  cock  ostrich,  which  quickly  observed  us  and 
dashed  away  to  our  left.  I  had  ceased  to  devote  my 
attention  to  the  ostrich,  and  was  straining  my  eyes  in 
an  opposite  direction,  when  Kleinboy  called  out  to  me, 
"  Dar  loup  de  ould  carle  ;"  and  turning  my  eyes  to  the 
retreating  ostrich,  I  beheld  two  first-rate  old  bull  ele- 
phants, charging  along  at  their  utmost  speed  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  it.  They  seemed  at  first  to  be  in  great 
alarm,  but,  quickly  discovering  what  it  was  that  had 
caused  their  confusion,  they  at  once  reduced  their  pace  to 
a  slow  and  stately  walk.  This  was  a  fine  look-out ;  the 
country  appeared  to  be  favorable  for  an  attack,  and  I 
was  followed  by  Wolfe  and  Bonteberg,  both  tried  and 
serviceable  dogs  with  elephants.  Owing  to  the  pace  at 
which  I  had  been  riding,  both  dogs  and  horses  were  out 
of  breath,  so  I  resolved  not  to  attack  the  elephants  im- 
mediately, but  to  follow  slowly,  holding  them  in  view. 
The  elephants  were  proceeding  right  up  the  wind,  and 
the  distance  between  us  was  about  five  hundred  yards. 
I  advanced  quietly  toward  them,  and  had  proceeded  aljout 
halfway,  when,  casting  my  eyes  to  my  right,  I  beheld 
a  whole  herd  of  tearing  bull  elephants  standing  thick 
together  on  a  wooded  eminence  within  three  hundred 
yards  of  me.  These  elepiiants  were  almost  to  leeward. 
Now  the  correct  thing  to  do  was  to  slay  the  best  in  each 


28  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

troop,  which  I  accomplished  in  the  following  manner:  ] 
gave  the  large  herd  my  wind,  upon  which  they  instantly 
tossed  their  trunks  aloft,  "  a  moment  snuffed  the  tainted 
gale,"  and,  wheeling  about,  charged  right  down  wind, 
crashing  through  the  jungle  in  dire  alarm.  My  object 
now  was  to  endeavor  to  select  the  finest  bull,  and  hunt 
him  to  a  distance  from  the  other  troop,  before  I  should 
commence  to  play  upon  his  hide.  Stirring  my  steed, 
I  galloped  forward.  Right  in  my  path  stood  two  rhi- 
noceroses of  the  white  variety,  and  to  these  the  dogs  in- 
stantly gave  chase.  I  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  re- 
treating elephants,  tracing  their  course  by  the  red  dust 
which  they  raised  and  loft  in  clouds  behind  them. 

Presently  emerging  into  an  open  glade,  I  came  full 
in  sight  of  the  mighty  game;  it  was  a  truly  glorious 
sight ;  there  were  nine  or  ten  of  them,  which  were,  with 
one  exception,  full-grown,  first-rate  bulls,  and  all  of  them 
carried  very  long,  heavy,  and  perfect  tusks.  Their  first 
panic  being  over,  they  had  reduced  their  pace  to  a  free, 
majestic  walk,  and  they  followed  one  leader  in  a  long 
line,  exhibiting  an  appearance  so  grand  and  striking 
that  any  description,  however  brilliant,  must  fail  to  con- 
vey to  the  mind  of  the  reader  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
reality.  Increasing  my  pace,  I  shot  alongside,  at  the 
same  time  riding  well  out  from  the  elephants,  the  bette' 
to  obtain  an  inspection  of  their  tusks.  It  was  a  dif- 
ficult  matter  to  decide  which  of  them  I  should  select, 
for  every  elephant  seemed  better  than  his  neighbor; 
but,  on  account  of  the  extraordinary  size  and  beauty 
of  his  tusks,  I  eventually  pitched  upon  a  patriarchal 
bull,  which,  as  is  usual  with  the  heaviest,  brought  up 
the  rear.  I  presently  separated  him  from  his  comrades, 
and  endeavored  to  drive  him  in  a  northerly  direction 
There  is  a  peculiar  art  in  driving  an  elephant  in  the 


DRIVING    AN    ELEPHANT.  ■     29 

particular  course  which  you  may  fancy,  and,  simple  as 
it  may  seem,  it  nevertheless  requires  the  hunter  to  have 
a  tolerable  idea  of  what  he  is  about.  It  is  widely  dif- 
ferent from  driving  in  an  eland,  which  also  requires 
judicious  riding:  if  you  approach  too  near  your  ele- 
phant or  shout  to  him,  a  furious  charge  will  certainly 
ensue,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  if  you  give  him  too 
wide  a  berth,  the  chances  are  that  you  will  lose  him  in 
the  jungle,  which,  notwithstanding  his  size,  is  a  very 
simple  matter,  and,  if  once  lost  sight  of,  it  is  more  than 
an  even  bet  that  the  hunter  will  never  again  obtain  a 
glimpse  of  him.  The  ground  being  favorable,  Klein- 
boy  called  to  me  to  commence  firing,  remarking  very 
prudently  that  he  was  probably  making  for  some  jun- 
gle of  wait-a-bits,  where  we  might  eventually  lose  him, 
I  continued,  however,  to  reserve  my  fire  until  I  had 
hunted  him  to  what  I  considered  to  be  a  safe  distance 
from  the  two  old  fellows  which  we  had  first  discovered. 

At  length  closing  with  him,  I  dared  him  to  charge, 
which  he  instantly  did  in  fine  style,  and  as  he  pulled 
up  in  his  career  I  yelled  to  him  a  note  of  bold  defiance, 
and,  cantering  alongside,  again  defied  him  to  the  com- 
bat. It  was  thus  the  fight  began,  and,  the  ground  be- 
ing still  favorable,  I  opened  a  sharp  fire  upon  him,  and 
in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  twelve  of  my  bullets  were 
lodged  in  his  fore  quarters.  He  now  evinced  strong 
symptoms  of  approaching  dissolution,  and  stood  catching 
up  the  dust  with  the  point  of  his  trunk  and  throwing  it 
in  clouds  above  and  around  him.  At  such  a  moment 
it  is  extremely  dangerous  to  approach  an  elephant  on 
foot,  for  I  have  remarked  that,  although  nearly  dead, 
he  can  muster  strength  to  make  a  charge  with  great 
impetuosity.  Being  anxious  to  finish  him,  I  dismount- 
ed from  my  steed,  and,  availing  myself  of  the  cover  of 


*0  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

a  gigantic  nwana-tree,  whose  diameter  was  not  less  than 
ten  feet,  I  ran  up  within  twenty  yards,  and  gave  it  him 
sharp  right  and  left  behind  the  shoulder.  These  two 
shots  wound  up  the  proceeding;  on  receiving  them,  he 
backed  stern  foremost  into  the  cover,  and  then  walked 
slowly  away.  I  had  loaded  my  rifle,  and  was  putting 
on  the  caps,  when  I  heard  him  fall  over  heavily;  but, 
alas !  the  sound  was  accompanied  by  a  sharp  crack, 
which  I  too  well  knew  denoted  the  destruction  of  one 
of  his  lovely  tusks;  and,  on  running  forward,  I  found 
him  lying  dead,  with  the  tusk,  which  lay  under,  snap- 
ped through  the  middle. 

I  did  not  tarry  long  for  an  inspection  of  the  elephant, 
but,  mounting  my  horse,  at  once  set  off  to  follow  on 
the  spoor  of  the  two  old  fellows  which  the  ostrich  had 
alarmed.  Fortunately,  I  fell  in  with  a  party  of  na- 
tives, who  were  on  their  way  to  the  wagons  with  the 
impedimenta,  and,  assisted  by  these,  I  had  sanguine 
hopes  of  shortly  overtaking  the  noble  quarry.  We  had 
not  gone  far  when  two  wild  boars,  with  enormous  tusks, 
stood  within  thirty  yards  of  me,  but  this  was  no  time 
to  fire,  and  a  little  after  a  pair  of  white  rhinoceroses 
stood  directly  in  our  path.  Casting  my  eyes  to  the 
right,  I  beheld  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  me  a  herd 
of  eight  cr  ten  cow  elephants,  with  calves,  peacefully 
browsing  on  a  sparely-wooded  knoll.  The  spoor  we 
followed  led  due  south,  and  the  wind  was  as  fair  as  it 
could  blow.  We  passed  between  the  twin-looking, 
abrupt,  pyramidal  hills,  composed  of  huge  disjointed 
blocks  of  granite,  which  lay  piled  above  each  other  in 
grand  confusion.  To  the  summit  of  one  of  these  I  as- 
cended with  a  native,  but  the  forest  in  advance  was  so 
impenetrable  that  we  could  see  nothing  of  the  game  we 
sought.     Descending  from  the  hillock;  we  resumed  the 


SPLENDID  SPORT.  31 

spoor,  and  were  enabled  to  follow  at  a  rapid  pace,  the 
native  who  led  the  spooring  party  being  the  best  track- 
er in  Bamangwato.  I  had  presently  very  great  satis- 
faction to  perceive  that  the  elephants  had  not  been 
alarmed,  their  course  being  strewed  with  branches  which 
they  had  chewed  as  they  slowly  fed  along.  The  track- 
ers now  became  extremely  excited,  and  strained  their 
eyes  on  every  side  in  the  momentary  expectation  of 
beholding  the  elephants.  At  length  we  emerged  into 
an  open  glade,  and,  clearing  a  grove  of  thorny  mimosas, 
we  came  full  in  sight  of  one  of  them.  Cautiously  ad- 
vancing, and  looking  to  my  right,  I  next  discovered  his 
comrade,  standing  in  a  thicket  of  low  wait-a-bits,  with 
in  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  me;  they  were  both  first- 
rate  old  bulls,  with  enormous  tusks  of  great  length.  I 
dismounted,  and  warily  approached  the  second  elephant 
for  a  closer  inspection  of  his  tusks.  As  I  drew  near  he 
sliglitiy  turned  his  head,  and  I  then  perceived  that  his 
further  one  was  damaged  toward  the  point,  while  at 
the  same  instant  his  comrade,  raising  his  head  clear  of 
the  bush  on  which  he  browsed,  displayed  to  my  delight- 
ed eyes  a  pair  of  the  most  beautiful  and  perfect  tusks 
I  had  ever  seen. 

Regaining  my  horse,  I  advanced  toward  this  ele- 
phant, and  when  within  forty  yards  of  him  he  walked 
slowly  on  before  me  in  an  open  space,  his  huge  ears 
gently  flapping,  and  entirely  concealing  me  from  his 
view.  Inclining  to  the  left,  I  slightly  increased  my 
pace,  and  walked  past  him  witlijn  si.^.y  yards,  upon 
which  he  observed  me  for  the  first  time;  but  probably 
mistaking  "  Sunday"  for  a  hartebeest,  he  continued  his 
course  with  his  eye  upon  me,  but  showed  no  symptoms 
of  alarm.  The  natives  had  requested  me  to  endeavor, 
if  possible,  to  hunt  him  toward  the  water,  which  lay  in 


32  ADVENTURES    l.V    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

a  northerly  direction,  and  this  I  resolved  to  do.  Hav- 
ing advanced  a  little,  I  gave  him  my  wind,  when  he 
was  instantly  alarmed  and  backed  into  the  bnshes, 
holding  his  head  high  and  right  to  me.  Thus  he  stood 
motionless  as  a  statue,  under  the  impression,  probably, 
that,  owing  to  his  Lilliputian  dimensions,  I  had  failed 
to  observe  him,  and  fancying  that  I  would  pass  on  with- 
out detecting  him.  I  rode  slowly  on,  and  described  a 
semicircle  to  obtain  a  shot  at  his  shoulder,  and,  halt- 
ing my  horse,  fired  from  the  saddle;  he  got  it  in  the 
shoulder-blade,  and,  as  slowly  and  silently  I  continued 
my  course,  he  still  stood  gazing  at  mo  in  utter  astonish- 
ment. Bill  and  Flam  were  now  slipped  by  the  natives, 
and  in  another  moment  they  were  barking  around  him. 
I  shouted  loudly  to  encourage  the  dogs  and  perplex  the 
elephant,  who  seemed  puzzled  to  know  what  to  think 
of  us,  and,  shrilly  trumpeting,  charged  headlong  after 
the  dogs.  Retreating,  he  backed  into  the  thicket,  then 
charged  once  more,  and  made  clean  away,  holding  the 
course  I  wanted.  When  I  tried  to  fire,  "  Sunday" 
was  very  fidgety,  and  destroyed  the  correctness  of  my 
aim.  Approaching  the  elephant,  I  presently  dismount- 
ed, and,  running  in,  gave  him  two  fine  shots  behind 
the  shoulder;  then  the  dogs,  which  were  both  indiffer- 
ent ones,  ran  barking  at  him.  The  consequence  was 
a  terrific  charge,  the  dogs  at  once  making  for  their 
master,  and  bringing  the  elephant  right  upon  me.  I 
had  no  time  to  gain  my  saddle,  but  ran  for  my  life. 
The  dogs,  forftinatejy,  took  after  "  Sunday,"  who, 
alarmed  by  the  trumpeting,  dashed  frantically  away, 
though  in  the  heat  of  the  affi-ay  I  could  not  help  laugh 
ing  to  remark  horse,  dogs,  and  elephant  all  charging 
along  in  a  direct  line. 

The  dogs,  having  missed  their  master,  held  away 


THE    ELEPHANT.   KREAKS    HIS    TUSK.  33 

for  Kleinboy,  who  had  long  disappeared  I  knew  not 
whither.  "  Sunday"  stood  still,  and  commenced  to 
graze,  while  the  elephant,  slowly  passing  within  a  few 
yards  of  him,  assumed  a  position  under  a  tree  beside 
him.  Kleinboy  presently  making  his  appearance,  I 
called  to  him  to  ride  in  and  bring  me  my  steed ;  but 
he  refused,  and  asked  me  if  I  wished  him  to  go  head, 
long  to  destruction.  "  Sunday"  having  fed  slowly 
away  from  the  elephant,  I  went  up  and  he  allowed  me 
to  recapture  him.  I  now  plainly  saw  that  the  elephant 
was  dying,  but  I  continued  firing  to  hasten  his  demise. 
Toward  the  end  he  took  up  a  position  in  a  dense  thorny 
thicket,  where  for  a  long  time  he  remained.  Approach- 
ing within  twelve  paces,  I  fired  my  two  last  shots,  aim- 
ing at  his  left  side,  close  behind  the  shoulder.  On  re- 
ceiving these  he  backed  slowly  through  the  thicket,  and, 
clearing  it,  walked  gently  forward  about  twenty  yards, 
when  he  suddenly  came  down  with  tremendous  vio- 
lence right  on  his  broadside.  To  my  intense  mortifica- 
tion, the  heavy  fall  was  accompanied  by  a  loud,  sharp 
crack,  and  on  going  up  I  found  one  of  his  matchless 
tusks  broken  short  off  by  the  lip.  This  was  a  glorious 
day's  sport:  I  had  bagged  in  one  afternoon  probably 
the  two  finest  bull  elephants  in  Bamangwato,  and,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  destruction  of  their  noble  trophies, 
which  were  the  two  finest  pair  of  tusks  I  had  obtained 
that  season,  my  triumph  on  the  occasion  had  been  grea"'. 
and  unalloyed. 

I  was  now  languid  and  faint  from  excessive  thirst 
and  the  nearest  water  was  still  very  remote.  Being 
joined  by  the  natives,  we  quickly  proceeded  to  divest 
the  side  of  the  elephant  of  a  large  sheet  of  the  outer 
skin,  when  of  th"2  under  one  we  constructed  a  pair  of 
water-bags,  with  which  two  of  the   natives  set  out. 

B2 


34  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFHICA. 

leading  along  with  them  the  dogs  and  horses;  nor  did 
they  rejoin  us  till  after  midnight,  having  lost  their 
reckoning  by  the  way.  Tlicir  comrades  who  were  with 
me,  conjecturing  the  cause  of  the  delay,  requested  me 
to  fire  signal-shots  at  intervals  throughout  the  night, 
which  was  the  means  of  their  eventually  reaching  their 
destination.  At  an  early  hour  on  the  following  day, 
leaving  Kleinboy  with  the  natives  to  look  after  the 
ivory,  I  set  out  with  two  men,  to  show  them  where  the 
other  elephant  lay,  and  thence  to  continue  my  way  to 
camp. 

The  weather  had  hitherto  been  favorable  for  the  toil- 
some pursuit  of  elephant  hunting,  little  rain  having 
fallen  since  I  had  first  entered  the  country.  At  length, 
however,  the  rainy  season  was  at  hand,  and  we  were 
constantly  visited  by  the  most  appalling  thunder-storms, 
accompanied  by  overwhelming  torrents  of  rain,  which 
filled  the  hitherto  dry  nullahs  and  gravelly  water-cours- 
es with  running  streams,  and  converted  the  parched  for- 
est and  arid  plains  into  blossoming  verdure  and  grassy 
meads.  While  hunting  I  was  often  overtaken  by  the 
rains,  and  on  these  occasions  I  still  managed  to  keep 
myself  tolerably  comfortable  by  compelling  the  natives 
to  erect  for  me  a  bothy,  or  tei^porary  hut.  This  duty 
they  often  proved  reluctant  to  perform ;  but  I  iavaria- 
bly  managed  to  gain  my  point  by  explaining  to  them 
that,  if  my  guns  and  powder  were  exposed  to  the  rain, 
they  would  die,  and  then  I  could  kill  no  more  elephants 
for  them. 

When  attended  by  a  large  party,  the  erection  of  a 
good  substantial  bothy  was  a  simple  and  easy  proceed- 
ing, and  was  accomplished  in  the  following  manner  : 
One  party,  armed  with  tomahawks,  went  in  quest  of 
long  forked  poles,  which  they  cut  in  lengths  often  feet: 


MODE    OF    ERECTING    A    BOTHY.  35 

a  second  party  gathered  green  brush-wood  ;  and  the 
third  collected  a  large  quantity  of  long  dry  grass,  which 
they  tore  out  of  the  ground  by  the  roots.  The  poles 
were  set  up  in  a  circular  position,  the  forked  ends  meet- 
ing and  resting  against  one  another  overhead,  then  the 
brush-wood  was  tightly  intt  laced  between  the  poles, 
leaving  a  small  low  aperture  for  the  door,  and  the  fab- 
ric was  effectually  thatched  with  the  long  grass,  the 
conical  summit  being  usually  crowned  either  WMth  the 
enormous  ear  or  a  portion  of  the  hide  of  an  elephant. 
Such  was  the  bothy  which  the  natives  were  wont  to 
build  for  me  when  overtaken  by  storms,  or  when  the 
sky  looked  threatening,  during  the  remainder  of  that 
and  all  the  subsequent  seasons  that  I  hunted  among 
the  Bechuaqa  tribes.  But  it  often  happened,  when  1 
had  lain  down  for  the  night  with  no  other  roof  above 
me  than  the  vaulted  canopy  of  heaven,  that  my  placid 
slumbers  were  rudely  disturbed  by  rain  falling  like  a 
water-spout  on  my  face.  Such  events  as  these  were 
extremely  disagreeable,  more  especially  w^hen  it  came 
down  so  heavily  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  main- 
taining our  usual  watch-fires.  In  weather  like  this  tho 
prowling  tyrant  (ff  the  forest  is  ever  most  active  in  his 
search  for  prey,  and  our  ears  were  occasionally  greeted 
with  the  deep-toned  voices  of  troops  of  lions,  as,  attract- 
ed by  the  smell  of  our  beef,  they  prowled  around  our 
encampments. 

I  continued  hunting  to  the  eastward  of  Bamangwato 
until  the  8d  of  October,  during  which  time  I  added  four 
other  noble  elephants,  besides  rhinoceroses  and  other 
animals,  to  my  already  satisfactory  list  of  game* 

*  It  13  about  this  latitude  that  the  traveler  will  first  meet  witli  tha 
gigantic  and  castle-like  nwana,  which  is  decidedly  the  most  striking  and 
wonderful  tree  among  the  thousaudi  which  adoi-n  the  South  Afncan 


36 


ADVENTURES    IN    SC  L'TH    AFRICA. 


Tlie  rains  having  fallen,  the  country  was  already 
adorned  with  a  goodly  coating  of  verdant  grass,  and 
my  oxen,  having  done  little  else  than  feed  and  rest 
themselves  for  several  months,  were  now  full  of  spirit 
and  in  fine  condition,  and  rattled  along  before  my  heav- 
ily-laden wagons,  over  rugged  hills  and  through  the 
trackless  mazes  of  the  forest,  at  a  rapid  and  willing 
pace,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  October  I  once 
more  formed  my  encampment  at  Lesausau,  in  the  Ba- 
mangwato  Mountains,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Sicomy's 
kraal. 

Here  I  was  quickly  welcomed  by  Sicomy,  who  vis- 
ited me  in  company  with  a  numerous  body  of  his  tribe. 
He  expressed  himself  much  gratified  at  seeing  me  re- 
turn in  safety  from  the  dangerous  pursuit  in  which  I 
had  been  employed,  remarking  that  he  was  often  anx- 
ious about  me  in  my  absence,  for,  if  any  casualty  had 

forests.  It  is  chiefly  remarkable  on  account  of  its  extraordinary  size, 
actually  resembling  a  castle  or  tower  more  than  a  forest-tree.  Through- 
out the  couutiy  of  Bamangvvato  the  average  circumference  of  these 
trees  was  from  thirty  to  forty  feet ;  but  on  subsequently  extending  my 
researches  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  throughout  the  more  fertile  for- 
ests which  clothe  the  boundless  tracts  through  which  the  fair  Limpopo 
winds,  I  daily  met  with  specimens  of  this  extraf)rdinary  tree  averaging 
from  sixty  to  a  hundred  feet  in  circumference,  and  maintaining  this 
thickness  to  a  height  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet,  when  they  diverge  into 
numerous  goodly  branches,  whose  general  character  is  abrupt  and  hori- 
zontal, and  which  seem  to  terminate  with  a  peculiar  suddenness.  The 
wood  of  this  tree  is  soft  and  utterly  unserviceable  ;  the  shape  of  the  leaf 
!s  similar  to  that  of  the  sycamore-tree,  but  its  texture  partakes  more  of 
the  fig-leaf;  its  fruit  is  a  nut,  which  in  size  and  shape  resembles  the  egg 
of  the  swan. 

A  remarkable  fact,  in  connection  with  these  trees,  is  the  manner  ia 
which  they  are  disposed  throughout  the  forest.  They  are  found  stand- 
ing singly,  or  in  rows,  invariably  at  considerable  distances  from  one 
another,  as  if  planted  by  the  hand  of  man ;  and  from  their  wondrous 
size  and  unusual  height  (for  they  always  tower  high  above  their  sur- 
"rounding  compeers),  they  convey  the  idea  of  being  strangers  or  inter- 
lopers on  the  ground  they  occupy. 


ENCAMP    NEAR    SICOMy's    KRAAI..  37 

befallen  me,  my  king,  he  said,  would  be  certain  to  seek 
restitution  at  his  hands.  His  majesty  was  pleased  to 
compliment  me  on  my  extraordinary  success  and  skill 
in  hunting,  and  observed  that  the  medicine  of  the  white 
man  must  indeed  be  strong. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  he  amused  me  with  the 
quaintness  of  his  questions,  asking  me  if  ray  father  and 
mother  were  alive,  how  many  brothers  and  sisters  I  had, 
if  the  flocks  and  herds  of  my  king  were  extremely  abund- 
ant, and  if  his  subjects  were  more  numerous  than  his 
own.  On  informing  him  that  our  chief  was  a  woman, 
he  seemed  much  tickled  by  the  disclosure ;  and  when 
T  said  that  her  subjects  were  as  numerous  as  the  lo- 
custs, he  looked  round  on  his  warriors  with  an  evident 
grin  of  disbelief,  and  then  inquired  of  me  if  all  my  coun- 
trymen could  vanquish  the  elephants  as  easily  as  I  did. 
This  M'as  a  puzzler :  so  I  replied  that  I  could  not  say ; 
but  I  knew  that  the  hearts  of  all  my  nation  were  very 
strong,  like  the  heart  of  the  lion  when  his  cubs  are 
small.  The  whole  assembly  was  greatly  moved  by  this 
bright  remark,  and  a  general  murmur  of  surprise  and 
admiration  extended  through  the  dusky  ranks  as  each 
man  repeated  to  his  neighbor  the  surpassing  courage  of 
my  lion-hearted  countrymen.  Old  Mutchuisho  under- 
stood my  gibberish  better  than  any  of  the  rest,  and  act- 
ed in  the  capacity  of  interpreter  between  me  and  tho 
king.  Our  conversation  was  maintained  partly  by 
means  of  signs,  my  attainments  in  the  Sichuana  lan- 
guage being  as  yet  but  limited.  Mutchuisho  now  in- 
timated to  me  that  two  friends  of  Sicomy's,  with  their 
two  attendants,  wished  to  accompany  mc  to  the  colony 
in  the  capacity  of  cattle-herds,  who  promised  at  the 
same  time  to  make  themselves  generally  useful  in  the 
way  of  collecting  fire-wood  and  carrying  venison  home 


38  ADVF\TURES    liN     SOLTTH    AFRICA. 

to  the  wagons.  To  this  proposal  I  fortunately  agreed, 
and  the  four  aspirants  came  forward,  and  w^ere  duly  in- 
troduced to  me.  The  names  of  these  four  Bechuanas 
were  Mollyee,  Mollyeon,  Kapain,  and  Kuruman  :  the 
two  former  belonged  to  the  aristocracy,  and  were  old 
friends  of  mine,  having  often  assisted  me  in  the  field. 
These  men  agreed  to  serve  me  faithfully  as  far  as  the 
sea  and  back  again  to  the  country  of  their  chief,  in  con- 
sideration of  which  I  promised  on  my  part  to  reward 
them  with  a  cow  and  a  musket  each. 

Mollyee  and  Mollyeon  were  brothers;  they  were  tall, 
active-looking  savages,  with  large,  bright,  sparkling 
eyes,  and  a  pleasing  cast  of  features.  Kapain  was  a 
short,  thick-set,  noisy  individual,  remarkable  for  his  ug- 
liness, and  was  the  funniest  fellow  in  all  Bamangwato. 
Kuruman  was  a  good-natured  boy  of  about  sixteen  years 
of  age  ;  his  face  was  prepossessing,  resembling  that  of 
a  girl  more  than  the  sex  to  which  he  professed  to  be- 
long. I  entertained  Sicomy  with  stewed  meat  and  cof- 
fee, and  he  and  his  retinue  remained  that  night  in  my 
encampment.  Before  retiring  to  rest  he  intimated  to 
me,  through  Mutchuisho,  that  he  wished  to  trade  with 
me  on  the  ensuing  day,  which  I  said  I  should  be  hap- 
py to  do  until  the  hour  of  mid-day,  when  I  would  pos- 
itively inspan  and  leave  Lesausau.  Accordingly,  at  an 
early  hour  on  the  morrow  sundry  fine  tusks  and  some 
good  specimens  of  native  arms  and  costume  made  their 
appearance,  which  I  obtained  in  barter  for  beads,  am- 
munition, and  other  articles.  On  inquiring  of  the  king 
what  had  become  of  Isaac,  he  said  that  he  had  long 
since  returned  to  Kuruman  in  company  with  a  son  of 
"old  Seretse,"  a  Bechuana  of  distinction  residing  in  the 
vicinity  of  Kuruman.  This  individual,  whose  name, 
being  translated,  signifies  "mwc?,"  is  remarkable  for  his 


THE    NATIVES     ^.STONISHED.  39 

bitterness  against  the  ad\ancement  of  the  Christian  re- 
ligion and  for  the  number  of  his  progeny.  Bidding  adieu 
to  Sicomy  at  mid-day  on  the  5th,  I  continued  my  march 
for  Corriebely,  which  I  reached  about  noon  on  the  fol- 
lowing day.  I  was  accompanied,  as  usual,  by  a  num- 
ber of  the  natives,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  a  supply  of 
flesh,  elephants  being  reported  to  have  revisited  j\las- 
souey.  Heavy  rains  had  fallen  throughout  this  dis- 
trict, and  the  country  now  presented  an  entirely  new 
appearance,  rank  young  grass  having  every  where 
sprung  up,  and  the  plains  and  forests  displaying  a  pro- 
fusion of  the  richest  verdure.  It  was  here  that  I  had 
concealed  a  large  quantity  of  lead,  in  a  hole  beneath 
the  ashes  of  my  fire,  before  recrossing  the  mountains 
of  Bamangwato.  Proceeding  to  the  spot,  I  had  the  sat- 
isfaction to  observe  that  the  ground  appeard  to  have 
been  undisturbed,  and,  returning  to  the  wagons,  I  com- 
menced to  unlash  from  the  side  of  one  of  these  a  shovel. 
The  natives,  who  always  watched  my  movements  with 
great  attention,  at  once  observed  me,  and  a  large  party 
followed  me  to  my  former  fire-place.  Here,  to  their 
surprise,  I  began  to  excavate ;  and  on  beholding  the 
lead,  they  seemed  utterly  astounded,  and  I  could  read 
very  plainly  in  their  faces  that,  had  they  known  it  was 
there,  they  would  have  saved  my  oxen  the  trouble  of 
transporting  it  across  the  sandy  deserts  between  me 
and  Bakatla.  On  reaching  INIassoucy  and  examining 
the  fountain,  I  sought  in  vain  for  the  tracks  of  ele- 
phants ;  the  natives,  nevertheless,  declared  that  one  or 
two  herds  of  these  were  still  to  be  met  with  in  the  dis- 
trict, which  I  inclined  to  credit ;  and  this  report  turned 
out  to  be  correct,  for  the  succeeding  day  I  followed  and 
succeeded  in  bagging  a  whole  herd  of  eight  bull  and  cow 
elephants,  after  a  most  exciting  chase. 


40  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

I  c'lntinued  hunting  atMassouey  till  the  12th,  when, 
bidding  a  long  farewell  to  the  land  of  elephants,  I  in- 
spanned,  and  marched  npon  Lepeby,  which  I  reached 
at  an  early  hour  on  the  following  day,  having  traveled 
several  hours  during  the  night,  availing  myself  of  the 
bright  moonlight.  When  last  I  visited  this  fine  fount- 
ain the  game  drank  at  it  in  numerous  herds,  but  now 
not  an  animal  of  any  kind  came  near  it,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  few  rhinoceroses.  This  I  always  found  to 
be  the  case  at  the  fountains  during  the  summer  months, 
when  the  game  are  very  independent  of  water,  owing 
to  the  more  abundant  moisture  contained  in  the  young 
grass.  In  the  forenoon  I  went  bird-nesting  among  the 
reeds  and  rushes  which  grew  around  the  fountain. 
Hundreds  of  birds  resembling  the  redpole  were  busy 
building  their  grassy  nests,  which  they  ingeniously  sus- 
pended between  the  tops  of  the  reeds.  In  the  rushes  I 
found  two  nests  of  the  water-hen,  containing  eggs, 
which,  along  with  the  nests,  exactly  corresponded  with 
those  in  Scotlanjl.  Two  beautifully-painted  wild  geese, 
an  egret,  or  white  heron,  and  about  twenty  teal,  orna- 
mented the  fountain,  and  were  so  tame  that  they  per- 
mitted me  to  approach  within  a  few  yards  of  them. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  16th  I  trekked  for  Bootlo- 
namy,  which  I  reached  at  sundown  on  the  same  even- 
ing, and  drew  up  the  wagons  under  an  impenetrable 
grove  of  picturesque  mimosas,  which  were  then  gayly 
decked  with  a  profusion  of  highly-scented  yellow  blos- 
soms, brightly  contrasting  with  their  summer  vestment 
of  delicious  green.  Here  I  continued  hunting  for  sev- 
eral days,  and  enjoyed  excellent  sport,  daily  securing 
several  fine  specimens  of  the  different  varieties  of  gama 
frequenting  the  district.  On  one  occasion,  while  hunt- 
ing, I  started  a  secretary  from  off  her  nest,  which  was 


TERRIFIC    THUNDER-STORM.  41 

built  on  the  top  of  a  very  dense  green  tree,  with  thorns 
on  the  fish-hook  principle.  With  much  difficulty  I  cut 
my  way  to  the  large  thorny  branch  on  which  the  nest 
was  built,  and,  to  proceed  further  being  impossible, 
from  the  denseness  of  the  thorns,  I  cut  through  this 
branch  with  my  knife,  and  by  dragging  it  down  I  got 
hold  of  the  eggs,  which  were  the  size  and  shape  of  a 
turkey's,  and  the  color  of  a  buzzard's  egg. 

On  the  forenoon  of  the  19th  we  were  visited  by  a 
most  terrific  storm.  The  thunder  was  the  most  appall- 
ing I  had  ever  heard,  resembling  the  simultaneous  dis- 
charge of  a  thousand  pieces  of  artillery  :  it  burst  close 
over  my  head  with  a  report  so  sudden  and  tremendous 
that  I  involuntarily  trembled,  and  the  sweat  ran  down 
my  brow.  At  other  times  the  thunder  rumbled  on  ev- 
ery side,  and  rolled  away  with  a  long-protracted  sound, 
which  had  not  died  before  fresh  explosions  burst  above 
and  around  me.  The  lightning  was  so  vivid  that  it 
pained  my  eyes ;  it  seemed  so  near,  that  I  fancied  ev- 
ery moment  it  must  strike  the  wagons,  which  would 
certainly  have  proved  extremely  inconvenient,  as  I  had 
three  hundred  pounds  of  gunpowder  stowed  in  one  of 
them  beneath  my  bed.  About  sundown  the  storm  had 
passed  away,  having  exquisitely  pvirified  the  atmos 
phere,  while  the  grateful  earth  and  fragrant  forest  emit- 
ted a  perfume  of  overpowering  sweetness.  I  then  saun- 
tered out  with  my  rifle  toward  where  the  oxen  were 
grazing,  and,  falling  in  with  a  herd  of  brindled  gnoos, 
I  shot  a  couple  of  shaggy  old  fellows,  firing  right  and 
left.  The  storm  set  in  again  about  10  P.M.  with  thun- 
der and  lightning,  which  continued  throughout  the 
greater  part  of  the  night 


X2  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

All  my  Colonial  Servants  desert  me — Pursue  them  in  vain — Both  Wng 
ons  get  disabled — Melancholy  Anticipations — Cut  a  Path  through  the 
Forest — A  sandy  Desert — Cattle  dying  for  Want  of  Water — Troubles 
surmounted — Pallahs  and  Koodoos — A  Lion  and  Leopard  visit  the 
Camp  at  Midnight — Another  Horse  dies  of  Distemper — We  reach 
Booby — One  of  the  Axle-trees  breaks — The  Bukatlas  assist  me — The 
Baggage-wagon  upset  in  a  River — The  Distemper  kills  more  Horses 
— Lions  roaring — An'ival  at  Dr.  Livingstone's — March  upon  Chou- 
aney — The  Ngotwanl — A  Herd  of  Biitfaloes  among  the  Reeds. 

I  HAD  now  arrived  at  a  period  of  considerable  import- 
ance in  my  lonely  expedition,  an  event  having  occurred 
which  caused  me  a  world  of  trouble  and  anxiety,  yet 
was  nevertheless  finally  beneficial  in  its  results,  as  it 
taught  me  what  difficulties  a  man  may  surmount  when 
he  is  pressed  by  adversity;  and  it  was  also  the  means 
of  my  becoming  an  accomplished  wagon-driver.  I  al- 
lude "to  my  being  abandoned  by  all  my  colonial  serv- 
ants, with  the  exception  of  Ruyter,  the  little  Bushman. 
I  attributed  this  unmanly  and  dastardly  proceeding 
mainly  to  their  despair  of  succeeding  in  bringing  the 
wagons  safely  across  the  sandy  deserts  intervening  be- 
tween me  and  the  distant  missionary  station  of  Bakat- 
la,  on  account  of  the  broken  state  of  one  of  the  axle- 
trees  of  my  traveling  wagon,  Kleinboy  in  one  of  his 
Jrunken  fits  having  driven  it  against  a  tree  with  such 
violence  that  one  of  the  wooden  arms  of  the  fore  axle- 
tree  was  cracked  right  across,  so  that  little  now  held 
the  wheel  excepting  the  linch-pin  and  the  iron  skein. 
I  remarked  on  the  22d  that  there  was  something  un- 
usual on  the  minds  of  my  colonial  followers,  for  nono 


DESERTION    OF    THE    HOTTENTOTS.  43 

jf  them  could  look  me  in  the  face ;  and  in  the  evening 
I  spoke  harshly  to  them  concerning  some  ground  coffee 
which  I  had  missed  from  my  canteen. 

On  the  23d  of  October  I  was  lying  asleep  in  my 
wagon,  a  little  before  the  -day  dawned,  when  Ruyter 
awoke  me  to  report  that  my  four  Hottentots  had  de- 
camped during  the  night.  He  said  that  each  of  them 
had  taken  with  him  a  large  bundle  of  biltongue  or  sun- 
dried  meat,  and  that  they  had  tried  hard  to  prevail  on 
him  to  accompany  them.  This  was  a  rather  startling 
announcement,  for  I  had  barely  enough  of  hands  to 
perform  the  work  when  they  were  with  me,  and  the 
four  savages  from  Bamangwato,  like  myself,  were 
quite  unaccustomed  to  the  laborious  and  intricate  art 
of  wagon  leading  and  driving,  and  the  inspanning  and 
outspanning  of  oxen.  Imagining  that  the  Hottentots 
would  not  persevere  in  so  rash  and  unwarranted  a  meas- 
ure, and  that  they  would  assuredly  change  their  minds 
and  retrace  their  steps  to  their  master  when  they  re- 
flected on  the  step  they  had  taken,  I  did  not  endeavor 
to  overtake  them,  but  employed  the  morning  in  stow- 
ing the  w^agons,  lashing  down  pots,  spades,  axes,  &c., 
in  their  proper  places,  and  overhauling  the  gear  pre- 
paratory to  marching. 

Having  breakfasted,  I  and  the  little  Bushman,  as- 
sisted by  the  savages,  lassoed,  gorted,  and  yoked  twen- 
ty-four oxen,  placing  twelve  before  each  wagon,  when 
w^e  cracked  our  whips  and  started  from  Bootlonamy. 
Mollyee  and  Mollyeon  led  the  teams,  and  Kapain  and 
Kuruman  followed  behind  the  wagons,  driving  the 
horses  and  loose  oxen.  In  former  days  I  had  acquired 
considerable  experience  in  driving  tandem  and  four-in- 
hand  ;  but  I  had  now  undertaken  a  pursuit  of  a  widely 
different  character.     I  soon,  however,   became   quite 


44  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

"  au  fait"  in  the  mysteries  connected  with  the  driving 
of  oxen,  and  learned  to  inspan  and  drive  my  own  wag- 
ons with  nearly  the  same  expedition  as  before  the  de- 
sertion of  the  Hottentots. 

The  vley  of  Bootlonamy  being  firm  and  hard,  we  rat- 
tled along  it  at  our  wonted  pace  ;  but  in  the  evening, 
as  we  cleared  the  vley  and  entered  on  the  sandy  tracts 
beyond,  the  oxen,  having  discovered  that  their  new  dri- 
vers could  not  wield  the  whips  with  the  rapidity  and  ex- 
ecution of  the  old,  declined  to  move  along  the  heavy 
sand  beyond  the  pace  they  fancied,  often  halting  of  their 
own  accord.  Eventually,  in  ascending  a  sandy  ridge, 
the  Bushman's  wagon  stuck  fast  in  the  deep  sand,  and 
in  trying  to  drag  it  out  the  oxen  broke  the  "  dissel-boom," 
or  pole.  Finding  that  the  labors  we  had  undertaken 
were  greater  than  I  had  calculated  upon,  I  resolved  to 
ride  on  the  morrow  in  pursuit  of  the  runaways  ;  and  ac- 
cordingly, at  daybreak  on  the  following  day,  leaving  the 
wagons  and  their  valuable  contents  at  the  mercy  of  the 
savages,  I  started  with  the  Bushman  and  a  spare  horse 
to  endeavor  to  overtake  them.  There  was  no  water 
where  the  wagons  stood,  so  I  instructed  Mollyeon  to 
proceed  with  the  cattle  in  quest  of  that  essential  requi- 
site. I  held  along  my  old  wagon-track,  where  we  traced 
the  footsteps  of  the  Hottentots;  and  having  ridden  some 
miles,  we  reached  the  spot  where  they  had  slept,  and 
where  the  ashes  of  their  fire  still  were  smoldering.  I 
followed  up  their  spoor  till  mid-day,  when  I  accidentally 
took  up  the  spoor  of  a  party  of  Bakalahari,  which  we 
followed  in  a  westerly  direction,  imaginingthatthe  Hot- 
tentots were  with  them.  This  spoor  we  eventually  lost 
in  stony  ground,  and  then  we  rode  back  to  where  we 
had  lost  the  right  spoor,  which  after  some  search  we 
found,  and  once  more  held  on.     Our  steeds  were  now 


FRUITLESS    SEARCH.  45 

fatigued,  for  we  had  ridden  sharp,  and  they  were  faint 
with  thirst,  as  we  were  also ;  but  we  sought  in  vain 
for  water  in  the  vleys  which  had  contained  it  when  we 
last  passed  through  the  country.  A  little  before  the  sun 
went  down  we  reached  three  small  pools  of  water  left 
by  the  recent  rains,  and  here  the  Hottentots  had  drunk, 
and  were  at  that  moment  hiding  in  a  bush  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  me,  as  I  discovered  on  the  ensuing  day. 
I,  however,  failed  to  observe  them  ;  and  fancying  that 
they  had  held  on  to  a  larger  vley,  where  I  had  encamped 
on  my  way  to  Bamangwato,  we  proceeded  for  that  place, 
and,  night  setting  in,  we  at  length  lost  our  way  in  the 
intricacies  of  the  forest. 

Faint,  hungry,  and  thirsty,  we  now  desisted  from 
our  fruitless  search,  and  on  looking  for  my  matches,  I 
found,  to  my  intense  mortification,  that  I  had  lost  them ; 
and  being  on  this  occasion  minus  my  shooting-belt  and 
rifle,  we  spent  the  night  without  a  fire,  thereby  incur- 
ring great  danger  of  losing  the  horses  and  ourselves  by 
lions.  Scarcely  had  we  ofi'-saddled  when  two  huge  rhi- 
noceroses came  up  and  stood  within  twenty  yards  of  us, 
and  would  not  for  a  long  time  be  persuaded  to  depart. 
Some  time  after  I  observed  a  dark-looking  object  prowl- 
mg  around  us,  and  evidently  anxious  to  cultivate  the 
acquaintance  either  of  ourselves  or  the  horses.  It  was 
a  hyaena.  Rising  from  my  comfortless  couch,  I  pelted 
him  with  stones,  when  he  took  the  hint  and  made  ofi". 
The  horses  were  completely  done  up,  and  when  knee- 
haltered  would  not  feed.  One  of  them,  on  being  off- 
saddled,  lay  stretched  upon  the  ground,  and  after  a  while, 
on  endeavoring  to  walk,  repeatedly  rolled  over  on  his  side. 

On  thc25tli  I  cast  loose  the  horses  as  soon  as  it  was 
clear,  and  ascended  to  the  summit  of  a  pyramidal  little 
hill  beside  wliich  we  had  slept,  to  ascertain  from  thence 


46  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA.. 

whither  I  had  wandered  ;  but  the  view  from  this  hill  did 
not  help  to  elucidate  matters,  endless  forests  stretching 
away  on  every  side  without  a  mark  to  assist  my  memo- 
ry. I  now  resolved  to  seek  no  longer  for  my  ruffianly 
Hottentots,  but  to  retrace  my  spoor  to  the  water  I  had 
discovered  on  the  preceding  evening,  and  halt  there  for 
a  day  until  the  horses  should  sufficiently  recover  their 
strength  to  carry  us  back  to  the  wagons.  By  adhering 
to  the  horses'  tracks,  I  reached  the  water  at  an  early 
hour,  and  here  I  discovered  the  fresh  tracks  of  the  Hot- 
tentots on  the  top  of  our  horses'  spoor  of  the  preceding 
evening.  I  had,  however,  resolved  not  to  ride  another 
yard  after  them  ;  I  accordingly  off-saddled,  and  remain- 
ed there  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.  In  the  vicinity 
of  the  water  we  discovered  the  spot  where  the  Hotten- 
tots had  slept  during  the  night.  Although  possessed 
of  Hint  and  steel,  they  had  not  kindled  a  fire,  having 
nevertheless  collected  fuel  for  that  purpose  previous  to 
our  arrival  on  the  preceding  evening.  This,  as  I  after- 
ward learned  from  themselves,  was  to  prevent  our  dis- 
covering their  position,  in  case  we  had  returned  that 
evening.  1  spent  most  of  the  day  in  endeavoring  to 
make  fire,  which  I  failed  to  accomplish  for  want  of  tin- 
der. This  was  extremely  annoying,  for  I  had  brought 
along  with  me  both  tea  and  coffee,  as  also  a  kettle,  and 
a  haunch  of  springbok. 

On  the  morninsr  of  the  26th  we  cast  loose  our  horses, 
and  proceeded  to  consume  raw  meat  and  water.  While 
thus  breakfasting,  a  pair  of  superb  roan  antelopes  ap- 
proached the  water,  advancing  within  easy  range  before 
they  noticed  us.  We  saddled  up  and  rode  for  the  wag- 
ons, which  we  reached  in  the  afternoon,  having  off-sad- 
dled for  an  hour  by  the  way.  I  found  the  wagons  as  I 
had  left  them,  as  also  the  savages,  who  ha  J  fortunately 


AN    UNENVIABLE    SITUATION.  47 

discovered  a  small  vley  of  rain  water  about  two  miles 
to  the  southward  of  their  position,  where  they  had  daily 
refreshed  themselves  and  the  cattle.  My  situation  was 
by  no  means  an  enviable  one,  and  my  mind  was  bur- 
dened with  anxiety.  One  of  the  wagons  was  fast  in 
deep  sand,  with  the  dissel-boom  broken,  and  the  fore- 
axle  of  the  other  was  cracked,  so  that  at  any  moment 
it  was  likely  to  give  way;  and  if  this  should  happen  on 
the  line  of  march  while  crossing  the  desert  and  far  from 
water,  I  should  have  had  no  alternative  but  to  abandon 
the  wagon  to  its  fate.  ^loreover,  owing  to  the  indo 
lent  disposition  of  the  Hottentots,  every  thing  connected 
with  the  gear  was  broken  and  out  of  order,  while  the 
hatchets  appeared  to  have  been  used  in  chopping  gun- 
flints,  and  all  their  handles  were  in  similar  condition. 
I  arose  at  dawn  on  the  morning  of  the  27th,  and, 
having  cast  loose  the  horses  and  oxen,  rummaged  out 
my  tools,  and  in  two  hours  I  got  out  the  broken  dissel- 
boom  and  put  in  a  new  one,  which  I  formed  from  the 
stem  of  a  tough  mimosa.  This  being  accomplished,  I 
yoked  twelve  oxen  to  the  wagon  which  was  sticking  in 
the  sand,  but  tried  in  vain  to  make  them  drag  it  out, 
for  the  cunning  animals  knew  that  it  was  fast,  and 
would  not  exert  themselves  to  attempt  to  extricate  it. 
After  inconceivable  trouble  and  repeatedly  shifting  the 
positions  of  the  various  oxen  in  the  span,  I  at  length 
made  a  fortunate  arrangement  of  the  oxen.  The  brutes 
for  once  pulled  all  together,  and  once  more  the  wagon 
was  in  motion,  I  then  inspanned  the  other  team,  and 
we  reached  the  water  without  further  trouble.  As  v/e 
neared  the  water  I  detected  a  giraffe  browsing  within 
a  quarter  of  a  mile;  this  was  well,  for  we  required 
flesh.  Commanding  silence,  I  hastily  outspanned,  and, 
having  saddled  the  Old  Gray,  I  rode  with  Ruyter  to 


48  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

where  we  last  had  seen  the  "  Tootla."  Having  pro- 
ceeded  a  short  distance  through  the  forest,  I  again  dis- 
covered him  within  a  hundred  yards  of  me.  He  prov- 
ed to  be  a  young  bull,  and  led  me  a  severe  chase  over 
very  heavy  ground.  Toward  the  end  I  thought  he  was 
going  to  beat  me,  and  I  was  about  to  pull  up,  when 
suddenly  he  lowered  his  tail,  by  which  I  knew  that  his 
race  was  run.  Urging  my  horse,  I  was  soon  alongside 
of  him,  and  with*  three  shots  I  ended  his  career.  Hav- 
ing obtained  for  the  present  both  flesh  and  water,  my 
next  look-out  was  to  consider  how  I  was  to  cross  the 
sandy  desert  which  lay  between  me  and  the  kraal  of 
Booby.  It  was  very  evident  that  I  could  not  return 
by  the  route  I  had  previously  held,  having  already  as- 
certained that  that  country  to  ox-wagons  was  now  im- 
passable, all  the  waters  being  dry. 

On  explaining  this  to  my  Bamangwato  followers, 
MoUyeon  stated  that  he  had  once  traversed  that  coun- 
try in  a  dry  season  many  years  before,  and  that  he  and 
his  comrades  had  obtained  water  in  some  deep  pits, 
which  had  been  excavated  by  Bakalahari  in  a  rocky 
part  of  the  desert,  considerably  to  the  eastward  of  my 
former  route.  He  said  we  should  require  the  greater 
part  of  two  days  to  reach  this  water,  our  route  thithei 
lying  across  a  soft  sandy  soil,  varied  in  many  places  by 
almost  impenetrable  forest;  he,  moreover,  seemed  a 
little  doubtful  as  to  whether  he  should  be  ab.e  to  dis- 
cover the  place,  and,  when  we  did,  whether  the  pits 
might  not  prove  dry.  This  was  certainly  a  bright 
look-out,  more  especially  as  the  next  water  (which  he 
represented  as  a  perpetual  fountain)  was  two  days  be- 
yond the  uncertain  pits. 

On  the  2Sth  I  was  occupied  about  the  wagons  all  the 
day,  puttings  siuidr)  things  to  rights.     ">"  had  thoughts 


T/ISMAL    FOnEBODINGS,  49 

of  trekking  on  the  following  day,  and  could  not  divest 
myself  of  the  most  dismal  forebodings,  for  I  felt  certain 
that  the  heavier  wagon  would  again  stick  fast,  or  that 
the  cracked  axle-tree  would  come  in  contact  with  some 
tree,  and  leave  me  in  the  desert  a  hopeless  wreck,  re- 
mote from  water  or  any  assistance.  I  had  certainly 
good  reason  to  be  uneasy.  On  the  29th  I  waited  till 
the  sun  was  up,  that  the  cattle  might  drink  plentifully, 
when  I  immediately  inspanned,  and  commenced  my 
anxious  journey.  For  the  first  ten  or  twelve  miles  we 
proceeded  along  a  hollow,  where  the  soil  was  in  general 
tolerably  firm;  but  on  leaving  this  hollow  we  entered 
upon  a  most  impracticable  country,  the  wagons  sinking 
about  four  inches  in  the  soft  sand.  Though  I  held  on, 
I  had  not  the  slightest  hope  of  getting  through  it,  for 
every  hundred  yards  required  the  utmost  exertion  both 
of  ourselves  and  oxen ;  yet  I  had  the  best  of  two  days 
more  of  it  to  expect  before  I  could  reach  the  promised 
water.  To  increase  our  difficulties,  our  progress  was 
presently  opposed  by  an  interminable  forest,  where  the 
trees  stood  so  close  together  as  often  to  bar  the  possi- 
bility of  the  wagons  passing  between  them. 

On  these  occasions  it  became  imperative  upon  me  to 
turn  pioneer,  and  in  the  course  of  the  day  I  felled  with 
the  ax  not  less  than  fifty  trees.  In  this  manner  I  held 
on  till  the  sun  went  down,  when  I  halted  in  dense  for- 
est and  cast  loose  the  oxen  for  an  hour;  after  which, 
with  infinite  trouble,  I  lassoed  the  two  teams  and  made 
them  fast  on  the  trek-tow,  in  their  proper  places,  ready 
to  inspan  at  dawn  of  day.  I  had  also  nine  horses  to 
catch  and  make  fast,  and  none  to  assist  me  but  the 
little  Bushman;  for  the  savages  were  so  lazy,  awk- 
ward, and  disobliging,  that  one  Hottentot  would  havo 
assisted  me  more  than  the  whole  pack  of  them. 

Vol.  it.— C 


50  ADVENTURES    IN    SOU  III    AFRICA 

On  the  30th  I  inspanncd  before  it  was  light,  and 
again  held  on,  as  on  the  preceding  day,  through  heavy 
sand  and  interminable  forest,  where  it  was  necessary 
to  keep  the  axes  in  constant  operation.  In  the  after- 
noon we  reached  the  promised  watering-place,  but  on 
springing  from  the  wagon,  and  running  anxiously  for- 
ward for  an  inspection  of  the  pits,  I  had  the  mortifica- 
tion to  find  that  all  they  contained  was  a  little  mud,  in 
which  sundry  heterogeneous  insects  were  sprawling. 
The  Bechuanas,  however,  signified  to  me  that,  by  clear- 
ing out  the  pits  and  digging  a  little,  water  would  maks 
its  appearance.  Accordingly,  having  outspanned  the 
jaded  oxen,  I  unlashed  the  spades,  which  were  vigor- 
ously plied,  when  the  water  began  very  reluctantly  to 
trickle  in  from  every  side.  We  thus  cleared  out  the 
T.nree  most  likely  pits,  and  in  two  hours  I  obtained  a 
rcry  moderate  supply  of  water  for  each  of  the  oxen, 
which  I  gave  them  individually  out  of  my  large  flesh- 
pot.  My  poor  horses  did  not  get  a  drop;  and  we  now 
proceeded  to  inspan,  and  resume  our  march  beneath  a 
burning  sun  of  unusual  intensity.  The  sand  became, 
if  possible,  worse  than  ever,  and  the  wagons  repeated- 
ly stuck  fast.  We  held  through  a  jungle  of  the  most 
virulent  wait-a-bit  thorns,  which  reduced  my  wagon- 
sails  to  ribbons  ;  and  when  the  sun  went  down  I  halted 
for  the  night,  and  cas+  ioo.«^e  my  wretched  oxen  for  au 
hour. 

On  the  31st  my  vans  \\2re  again  in  motion  before 
daylight ;  and  about  4  P.M.,  to  my  infinite  delight  and 
great  relief,  I  got  clear  of  the  desert,  and  reached  a 
strong  perennial  fountain  situated  in  a  finely-wooded 
valley  on  the  northern  borders  of  the  mountain  coun- 
try, extending  to  the  southward,  with  little  intermis- 
sion, as  far  as  the  chain  of  the  Kurrichane  rant'e.     To- 


Gl.t  kicked  ev  an  ox.  51 

ward  the  end  of  the  march  it  was  necessary  to  descend 
into  a  rnggii  valley,  and  cross  a  very  awkward  water- 
course, in  which  the  baggage-wagon  was  within  a  hair- 
breadth of  being  capsized.  Ascending  from  this  valley, 
we  crossed  a  precipitous  ridge,  where  large  disjointed 
masses  of  rock  threatened  the  momentary  destruction 
of  the  wagons.  As  I  was  yoking  one  of  the  oxen,  which 
had  broken  his  yoke-skey  and  got  out  of  his  place,  I  re- 
ceived from  a  vicious  ox  in  front  a  severe  kick  on  the 
cap  of  the  knee,  which  gave  me  intense  pain  and  laid 
me  prostrate  on  the  ground.  I,  however,  managed  to 
drive  the  wagon  to  its  destination,  where,  after  lying 
for  a  few  minutes,  the  pain  increased  so  much  that  I 
lay  panting  on  my  bed.  Just  as  I  had  ou^-spanned, 
and  before  my  knee  had  stiffened,  a  herd  of  zebras  ap- 
proached the  fountain  to  drink.  This  was  a  God-send 
at  such  a  moment,  our  flesh  being  at  an  end  and  the 
dogs  starving.  In  torture  as  I  was,  I  managed  to  make 
a  limping  stalk  toward  them,  when  I  obtained  a  fine 
double-shot  and  brought  down  a  brace  of  tine  old  mares. 
The  following  day  was  the  1st  of  November;  my 
knee  was  much  better,  and  in  the  afternoon  I  went  out 
with  Ruyter  and  shot  two  koodoos  and  a  pallah.  J 
shot  one  of  the  koodoos  from  the  saddle,  as  he  bounded 
past  me  at  a  hundred  yards.  At  night,  as  I  lay  down, 
I  heard  a  lion  roar  in  the  vicinity  of  camp,  but  soon  1 
was  asleep.  In  a  few  hours  I  was  awoke  by  an  unus- 
ud  disturbance  in  the  camp,  and,  raising  my  head,  I 
saw  the  Bechuanas  standing  close  together  round  the 
fire  with  their  faces  outward,  while  they  shrieked  and 
talked  with  unusual  volubility.  I  guessed  at  once  that 
a  lion  caused  the  rumpus  ;  and  I  was  right.  The  dogs 
were  barking  loud  and  angrily,  and  kept  rushing  back 
occasionally  to  ihc  fire,  as  if  pursued  by  some  animal 


52  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

The  night  was  pitch  dark,  so  that  nothing  could  be 
seen;  but  Mollyeon  told  me  that  a  lion  and  a  leopard 
were  prowling  round  us,  endeavoring  to  obtain  tiie  veni- 
son of  the  zebras,  which  hung  in  festoons  in  the  trees 
beside  us;  and  next  moment  I  heard  the  voices  of  both, 
for  the  lion  roared  and  the  leopard  shrieked  wildly  as 
they  sprang  after  the  dogs.  At  length  their  boldness 
increased ;  the  lion  chased  the  dogs  with  angry  growls 
within  twenty  yards  of  where  we  stood,  and  the  leop- 
ard actually  sprang  into  the  center  of  my  larder  beside 
the  fire,  and  was  making  off  with  a  large  fragment  of 
ribs,  when  the  dogs  went  gallantly  at  him.  He  turned 
upon  them,  and  so  terribly  lacerated  two  that  they  soon 
after  died  from  their  wounds.  We  now  snatched  up 
large  flaming  brands  from  the  fire,  and,  meeting  the 
lion  as  he  advanced,  we  sent  them  flying  in  his  face, 
when  I  fancy  he  made  off.  I  feared  to  use  my  rifle 
lest  I  should  shoot  the  dogs.  The  horses  and  oxen,  al- 
.though  much  alarmed,  did  not  endeavor  to  break  loose, 
being  still  very  much  fatigued  from  the  hardships  they 
had  undergone. 

On  the  morning  of  the  2d  I  shot  a  koodoo,  which 
antelope  seemed  here  to  be  tolerably  abundant ;  and 
about  mid-day,  as  I  sat  writing  beneath  the  wagon,  I 
observed  a  troop  of  zebras  approaching  the  fountain, 
followed  by  a  string  of  koodoos,  three  of  which  carried 
unusually  fine  horns.  While  I  sat  looking  at  them 
through  my  spy-glass,  I  directed  Ruyter  to  bring  up  the 
horses,  when  we  saddled  the  "  Gray"  and  the  "Chest- 
nut Pony,"  and  rode  slowly  toward  them,  till  they 
started,  when  we  gave  them  chase.  They  took  right  up 
the  face  of  a  stony  ridge,  and  as  they  disappeared  over 
its  summit  the  Bushman  was  riding  within  a  spear's 
length  of  the  finest  buck.    Before,  however.  I  could  gain 


ARRIVAL    AT    BOOBV.  53 

the  ridge,  the  "  Old  Gray"  refused  to  proceed  further, 
when,  dismounting,  I  resumed  the  chase  on  foot,  but 
failed  to  fall  in  with  my  after-rider,  who  eventually 
brought  the  koodoo  to  a  stand.  Retracing  my  steps,  I 
directed  my  attention  to  my  poor  "Old  Gray,"  which 
was  evidently  attacked  with  the  African  distemper. 
With  considerable  difficulty  I  brought  him  to  the  camp, 
where  I  instantly  bled  him,  but  to  no  purpose,  and  in 
another  hour  the  " gallant  gray"  lay  down  and  "stretch- 
ed his  stiff  limbs  to  rise  no  more."  At  night  the  lion 
feasted  on  him,  and  when  he  was  full  the  leopard  and 
hysenas  finished  him. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8d  I  left  this  fountain  and 
held  for  Booby,  which  I  reached  at  mid-day  on  the  5th. 
On  my  way  thither  we  one  evening  fell  in  with  a  large 
herd  of  elands,  out  of  which  I  captured  a  first-rate  bull. 
I  was  kindly  welcomed  by  Caachy,  now  the  chief  of 
Booby,  the  former  chief  having  been  blown  up  in  my 
absence  as  already  mentioned.  Caachy  informed  me 
that  my  runaway  Hottentots  had  reached  his  kraal,  and 
were  very  much  exhausted  by  their  march.  He  had  as- 
sisted them  with  corn,  and  passed  them  on  to  Bakatla. 
They  informed  this  chief  that  I  had  dismissed  them  from 
my  service,  having  engaged  other  servants  at  Baman- 
gwato.  I  remained  at  Booby  till  mid-day  on  the  7th, 
and  obtained  several  very  fine  karosses  and  other  native 
curiosities  in  barter  from  the  tribe.  The  king  suppli- 
ed me  liberally  with  boyahva,  or  native  beer,  which  I 
thought  most  excellent,  but  found  that  it  possessed  a 
soporific  tendency,  inducing  me  on  one  occasion  to  lie 
down  and  sleep  for  half  the  day,  while  the  king  and  his 
nobility  were  waiting  to  trade  with  me.  A  large  body 
of  the  natives  accompanied  me  from  Booby,  some  of 
them  leading  pack-oxen,  wiiich  were  sent  by  Caachy  to 


64  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

convey  the  venison  of  sundry  rhinoceroses  which  I  en- 
gaged to  shoot  for  him.  These  men  led  me  toward 
Bakatla  by  a  different  route  from  that  which  I  had  for- 
merly adopted. 

Early  on  the  13th,  while  taking  coffee,  I  was  met  by 
a  party  from  Bakatla,  who  had  been  kindly  dispatched 
by  Dr.  Livingstone,  the  resident  missionary,  on  hear- 
ing of  my  abandonment  by  my  colonial  servants.  The 
party  consisted  of  a  Bechuana,  named  Mabal,  belong- 
ing to  Kuruman  (who  assisted  Dr.  Livingstone  in  teach- 
ing the  children  of  the  Bakatlas),  and.  three  of  the  Bak- 
atla tribe.  These  men  reached  me  just  at  the  proper 
moment;  for,  having  inspanned,  before  we  had  proceed- 
ed three  hundred  yards  the  damaged  axle-tree  broke 
short  across,  and  the  wheel  rolling  away,  the  wagon 
came  down  on  its  side.  This  was  a  catastrophe  I  had 
for  some  time  anticipated,  and  I  was  only  thankful  that 
it  had.  been  deferred  so  long.  We  outspanned,  andj 
having  unloaded  the  wagon,  we  put  a  support  under  it, 
and  took  out  the  fore-stell,  and  I  then  set  about  making 
a  false  axle-tree  of  tough  thorn-wood.  The  vertical  sun 
was  extremely  powerful,  and  both  my  ankles  gave  m,e 
severe  and  never-ceasing  pain  from  wounds  inflicted  by 
the  cruel  wait-a-bits,  and  inflammation  induced  by  the 
unvarying  animal  diet  on  which  I  had  so  long  subsist- 
ed. In  the  afternoon  of  the  following  day  I  got  the  false 
axle-tree  fixed  in  its  proper  position,  and  having  loaded 
up  the  wagon  we  were  once  more  ready  for  a  start. 

On  the  15th  we  inspanned,  and,  having  passed  through 
the  bold  mountain  gorge,  of  Sesetabie,  we  encamped  on 
the  margin  of  a  periodical  river  whose  precipitous  banks 
and  broad  channel  of  deep  soft  sand  caused  me  consider- 
able apprehensions  of  difficulties  for  the  morrow. 

On  the  16th  I  unlashed  my  spadss  and  pickax,  and 


A    WAGON    UPSET.  55 

worked  hard  for  several  hours  cutting  down  the  precip- 
itous banks  of  the  river  and  3onstructing  a  road  for  the 
wagons  to  pass;  after  which  we  inspanned  and  took  the 
stream.  I  drove  my  wagon  safely  through;  but,  alas' 
not  so  with  the  baggage-wagon.  Twice  it  stuck  fast 
in  the  treacherous  sand  while  crossing  the  river's  bed, 
but  the  sturdy  oxen  pulled  it  out,  and  had  dragged  it 
more  than  halfway  up  the  almost  perpendicular  bank, 
when  the  native  who  led  the  long  team,  unraindfnl  that 
a  wagon  was  behind  them,  suddenly  turned  the  lead- 
ing oxen  short  toward  the  river's  bank,  thus  render- 
ing it  impossible  for  the  driver  to  steer  his  after-oxen. 
The  wagon  was  dragged  off  the  fine  road  which  I  had 
made  for  it,  and  after  quivering  for  a  moment  as  if  loth 
to  meet  its  fate,  it  fell  heavily  over  and  rolled  down  the 
bank  with  a  most  terrific  crash,  smashing  the  fine  cap- 
ped tent,  and  sending  the  ivory  and  all  my  highly-val- 
ued trophies  flying  into  the  bed  of  the  river  in  a  mass 
of  the  most  dire  confusion. 

This  was  enough  to  vex  any  man;  but  I  had  now 
become  so  seasoned  to  adversity  that  I  only  laughed  at 
the  capsize  as  though  the  accident  had  happened  to  a 
foe  ;  and  having  unyoked  the  oxen,  we  commenced  car- 
rying the  heavy  ivory  and  other  articles  up  the  bank  to 
the  level  ground  beyond ;  after  which  we  righted  the 
wagon,  and  a  team  of  oxen  dragged  it  up  the  bank.  I 
then  set  to  work  to  repair  the  tent  with  green  boughs, 
and  before  sunset  we  had  again  replaced  the  greater 
part  of  the  cargo.  As  the  sun  went  down  "  The  Cow" 
died  from  the  distemper  which  had  carried  off  my  other 
two  horses.  The  night  set  in  with  thunder,  lightning, 
and  rain ;  jackals  and  hyaenas  prowled  around  us,  and 
soon  found  the  remains  of  ray  lamented  charger,  on 
which  they  feasted  till  the  dawn  of  day. 


56  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH   AFRICA. 

The  17th  ushered  in  a  lovely  morning,  and  the  sky 
was  beautifully  overcast  with  clouds.  When  I  got 
things  dry  I  fniished  stowing  the  wagon,  an^  we  then 
trekked,  holding  on  till  the  evening,  when  the  axle-tree 
which  I  had  made  burst,  and  the  linch-pin  giving  way, 
the  wheel  rolled  off,  leaving  me  once  more  a  wreck. 
While  securing  my  few  remaining  horses,  I  remarked 
that  a  handsome  little  bay  horse,  named  "  Hutton," 
evinced  symptoms  of  the  distemper,  but  I  did  not  bleed 
him,  as  it  seemed  to  be  of  no  avail.  Heavy  rain  con- 
tinued falling  throughout  the  night,  and  next  morning 
the  ground  where  we  had  outspanned  was  a  mass  of 
deep  mud.  At  an  early  hour  all  hands  were  busy  in 
again  unloading  the  broken  wagon,  and  before  night  I 
had  finished  another  axle-tree  and  fixed  it  in  its  place. 
The  day  throughout  Avas  dark  and  gloomy  —  heav\ 
clouds  hung  low  on  the  mountain  of  the  eagles,  re- 
minding me  of  the  mist  I  was  wont  to  see  in  the  dis- 
tant country  of  the  Gael,  and  our  ears  were  repeatedly 
saluted  with  the  subdued  voices  of  a  troop  of  lions  which 
were  moaning  in  concert  around  its  base.  In  the  even- 
ing the  horse  called  "  Hutton"  died,  and  scarcely  had 
night  set  in  when  his  doleful  coronach  was  wildly  re- 
echoed by  the  shrill  voices  of  a  score  of  jackals,  which 
the  lions  hearing  soon  came  to  their  assistance,  and 
presently  we  heard  them  feasting  on  his  remains. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th  we  resumed  our  march, 
and  at  a  late  hour  on  the  evening  of  the  20th  we  reach- 
ed the  missionary  station  at  Bakatla,  where  I  was  kind- 
ly received  by  Dr.  Livingstone  and  his  amiable  lady. 
They  had  been  anxious  concerning  my  fate,  and  enter- 
tained great  apprehensions  for  my  safety.  Mrs.  Living- 
stone had  seen  my  Hottentots  as  they  passed  through 
Bakatla,  wh.ere  they  remained  only  one  day ;  and  that 


ARRIVAL    AT    DR.    LIVINGSTONE'S.  57 

lady  represented  them  as  bearing  the  appearance  of  men 
who  had  been  guilty  of  crime.  She  had  endeavored,  but 
without  success,  to  prevail  upon  them  to  rejoin  their 
master  and  return  to  their  duty.  Dr.  Livingstone  at 
the  time  was  absent  on  a  visit  to  Sichely,  superintend- 
ing the  erection  of  a  dwelling-house  and  place  of  pub- 
lic worship  at  that  chief's  kraal,  named  "Chouaney," 
whither  he  intended  shortly  to  remove,  there  being  an- 
other missionary,  named  Mr.  Edwards,  already  station- 
ed at  Bakatla,  who  was  then  absent  on  a  visit  to  the 
colony.  Dr.  Livingstone  informed  me  that  at  present 
there  was  war  between  the  Baquaines,  of  whom  Sich- 
ely is  chief,  and  the  Bakatlas,  and  that  the  latter  were 
in  daily  expectation  of  an  attack. 

The  23d  was  Sunday,  when  Dr.  Livingstone  showed 
me,  on  comparing  notes,  that  I  had  lost  a  day  during 
my  sojourn  in  the  far  interior.  I  attended  Divine  serv- 
ice, and  had  considerable  difficulty  to  maintain  my  grav- 
ity as  sundry  members  of  the  congregafion  entered  the 
church  clad  in  the  most  unique  apparel.  Some  of  these 
wore  extraordinary  old  hats  ornamented  with  fragments 
of  women's  clothes  and  ostrich  feathers.  These  fine 
hats  they  were  very  reluctant  to  take  off,  and  one  man 
sat  with  his  beaver  on  immediately  before  the  minister 
until  the  door-keeper  went  up  to  him  and  ordered  him  to 
remove  it.  At  dinner  we  had  a  variety  of  excellent  veg- 
etables, the  garden  producing  almost  every  sort  in  great 
perfection ;  the  potatoes,  in  particular,  were  very  fine. 
To-day  another  of  my  stud,  named  Yarborough  (so  called 
in  honor  of  a  gallant  major  of  the  91st  from  whom  I 
purchased  him),  died  of  the  distemper,  and  was  imme- 
diately consumed  by  the  starving  curs  of  the  Bakatlas. 
Being  anxious  to  visit  Sichely  and  his  tribe.  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone and  I  resolved  to  leave  Bakatla  and  march 

C2 


58  ADVENTURES    IN     SOUTH    AFRICA. 

upon  Chouaney  with  one  of  my  wagons  on  the  ensuing 
day;  the  doctor's  object  being  to  establish  peace  between 
the  tv.'o  tribes,  and  mine  to  enrich  myself  with  ivory 
and  karosses,  and  other  objects  of  interest. 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th  I  off-loaded  the  baggage- 
wagon,  and  stowed  its  contents  in  Dr.  Livingstone's 
premises,  after  which  the  doctor  and  I  started  for  Chou- 
aney, which  bore  a  little  to  the  east  of  north.  Our  road 
lay  through  the  most  perfect  country.  On  clearing  the 
romantic  valley  of  Bakatla,  we  descended  into  another 
beautiful  valley,  through  which  meandered  the  crystal 
waters  of  the  Ngotwani,  an  interesting  stream,  which, 
flowing  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  falls  into  the  Lim- 
popo about  sixty  miles  below  its  junction  with  the  Ma- 
riqua.  The  Ngotwani  contains  several  varieties  offish, 
which  are  of  good  flavor,  and  afford  the  angler  steady 
average  sport  both  with  bait  and  fly.  After  following 
some  distance  along  the  finely-wooded  banks  of  the 
Ngotwani,  and'having  twice  crossed  its  stream,  we  en- 
tered upon  an  extensive  open  tract  of  country  adorned 
with  a  carpet  of  the  most  luxuriant  herbage.  This  inter- 
esting plain  was  beautifully  wooded  toward  the  mount- 
ain ranges  which  bound  it  on  every  side,  and  the  Ngot- 
wani twined  in  a  serpentine  course  along  the  middle  of 
it,  forming  in  one  part  an  extensive  vley  or  marsh  about 
four  miles  long  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  breadth. 
This  vley  was  now  beautiful  with  a  dense  crop  of  wav- 
ing green  reeds,  averaging  about  fourteen  feet  in  height, 
and  forming  a  favorite  resort  of  buffaloes  and  their  in- 
variable attendants  the  lions.  Dr.  Livingstone  told  me 
that  a  party  of  Baquaines  were  to  leave  Chouaney  on 
the  ensuing  day  to  visit  this  vley,  for  the  purpose  of 
cutting  a  supply  of  the  long  rank  reeds  with  which  to 
thatch  his  new  church  and  dwelling-house  ;  and  he  said 


A    HERD    OF    BUFFALOES.  59 

that  he  should  wish  me,  if  opportanity  presented  itself, 
to  shoot  some  large  game  on  which  these  men  might 
feed. 

We  were  marching  quietly  along,  and  were  nearly 
opposite  the  center  of  the  reeds,  when,  on  emerging 
from  a  grove  of  thorny  mokala-trees,  casting  our  eyes 
to  the  right,  we  suddenly  beheld  a  numerous  herd  of 
buffaloes  grazing  on  the  open  plain  between  us  and  the 
vley.  Their  dark  imposing  squadrons  extended  over  a 
great  space  of  ground,  and  we  reckoned  that  there  might 
have  been  between  six  and  eight  hundred  of  them.  I 
immediately  saddled  "  Sunday,"  and  rode  toward  them. 
As  I  drew  near,  they  stood  gazing  at  me  for  a  minute, 
and  then,  panic-stricken,  the  whole  herd  started  ofi"  to- 
gether, making  for  the  nearest  wood.  Pressing  my 
horse,  I  was  soon  ahead  of  them,  and  by  shouting  I 
turned  them  right  about,  when  they  thundered  along 
in  a  compressed  mass,  and  held  for  the  reeds.  Their 
amazing  numbers  greatly  impeded  their  progress,  and 
I  had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  alongside  of  them.  I 
kept  on  their  right  flank  to  enable  me  more  convenient- 
ly to  fire,  and  on  one  occasion,  on  my  riding  very  near 
the  foremost  of  the  herd,  a  large  division  of  those  be- 
hind me  suddenly  extended  to  the  right  and  increased 
their  pace,  and,  on  looking  over  my  shoulder,  I  found 
myself  almost  surrounded  by  their  helmeted  squadrons. 
As  I  galloped  along  I  endeavored  to  select  the  finest 
head,  but  among  so  many  it  was  no  easy  matter  to 
make  a  choice,  and  as  soon  as  I  selected  one  he  disap- 
peared among  the  ranks  of  his  companions.  At  length, 
riding  at  the  gallop,  I  let  fly  right  and  left  into  tho 
herd,  and  next  moment  they  had  gained  the  margin 
of  the  lofty  reeds.  Here  the  whole  herd  suddenly 
halted  and  faced  about  with  the  regularity  and  preci- 


60  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH   AFRICA. 

sion  of  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  when  having  overhauled 
me  for  half  a  minute,  they  charged  headlong  into  the 
soft  muddy  vley,  and  in  another  moment  they  were  hid- 
den from  my  view.  I  marked  the  reeds  bowing  before 
them  far  on  my  right  and  left  as  they  splashed  and 
struggled  through  the  marshy  vley,  and  presently  they 
gained  the  other  side,  when,  emerging  from  the  reeds, 
they  held  across  the  open  plain,  steering  for  their 
strongholds  in  the  woods  beyond.  As  the  clouds  oi 
dust  behind  me  cleared  away,  I  looked  back  and  beheld 
a  fine  old  cow  stagger  for  a  moment  and  then  fall  dead, 
and  near  her  stood  a  wounded  calf,  whose  mother  had 
remained  beside  it,  being  loth  to  leave  her  offspring. 

I  now  returned  to  Dr.  Livingstone,  when  we  brought 
up  the  wagon  for  the  fallen  buffaloes,  and  halted  for  the 
night.  Just  as  woihad  outspanned,  a  blue  wildebeest, 
having  observed  the  oxen,  and  taking  them  for  buffa- 
loes, fearlessly  approached  the  wagon,  when,  advancing 
under  cover  of  one  of  the  oxen,  I  bowled  him  over  with 
my  rifle.  Early  on  the  following  morning  the  reed- 
cutters  from  Chouaney  hove  in  sight,  and  were  not  a 
little  gratified  to  find  so  bountiful  a  supply  of  their  fa- 
vorite "  niama,"  or  flesh,  awaiting  their  arrival.  The 
afternoon  was  cold  and  rainy,  and  at  a  late  hour  we 
outspanned  at  Chouaney,  where  we  were  immediately 
welcomed  by  a  messenger  from  Sichely,  who  expressed 
himself  highly  gratified  at  our  arrival,  and  promised  to 
come  and  breakfast  with  me  next  mornino:. 


sichely's  kraal.  si 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Arrive  at  Sichely's  Kraal — Description  of  that  Chief — His  Wives — The 
Rain-makers — My  Gun  Medicine  —  Bakatla  —  A  Kraal  stnick  by 
Lightning — Reach  Mr.  Moffat's  Station  at  Kuruinau — Daring  Rob- 
beries of  the  Bushmen — Campbellsdorp — Discover  my  runaway  Hot- 
tentots— We  cross  the  Vaal — The  Inmates  of  a  Farm  terrified  by  my 
wild  Appearance — Colesberg  and  Grahamstowu — English  Hounds  in 
Afi-ica. 

At  an  early  hour  on  the  26th  of  November  Sichely 
presented  himself  with  a  large  retinue.  The  appear 
ance  of  this  chief  was  prepossessing,  and  his  manner 
was  civil  and  engaging ;  his  stature  was  about  five  feet 
ten  inches,  and  in  his  person  he  inclined  to  corpulency 
His  dress  consisted  of  a  handsome  leopard-skin  kaross 
and  on  his  arms  and  legs,  which  were  stout  and  well 
turned,  he  wore  a  profusion  of  brass  and  copper  orna- 
ments manufactured  by  tribes  residing  a  long  way  to 
the  eastward.  In  the  forenoon  I  accompanied  Sichely 
to  his  kraal,  situated  in  the  center  of  the  town,  and 
alongside  of  it  stood  respectively  the  kraals  of  his  wives, 
which  were  five  in  number.  These  kraals  were  neatly 
built,  and  were  of  a  circular  form,  the  walls  and  floors 
being  smoothly  plastered  with  a  composition  of  clay 
and  cow-dung,  and  secured  from  the  weather  by  a  firm 
and  well-constructed  thatch  of  rank  dry  grass.  Each 
kraal  was  surroxmded  by  an  area  inclosed  with  a  strong 
impenetrable  fence  six  feet  in  height.  The  town  was 
built  on  a  gentle  slope  on  the  northern  side  of  a  broad 
extensive  strath,  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  which 
lay  wide  fields  and  gardens  inclosed  with  hedges  of  the 
wait-a-bits. 


62  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

A  short  time  previous  to  my  arrival,  a  rumor  hav- 
ing  reache:!  Sichely  that  he  was  likely  to  be  attacked 
by  the  emigrant  Boers,  he  suddenly  resolved  to  secure 
his  city  with  a  wall  of  stones,  which  he  at  once  com- 
menced erecting.  It  was  now  completed,  entirely  sur- 
rounding the  town,  with  loop-holes  at  intervals  all  along 
through  which  to  play  upon  the  advancing  enemy  with 
the  muskets  which  he  had  resolved  to  purchase  from 
hunters  and  traders  like  myself. 

I  was  duly  introduced  to  the  five*  queens,  each  of 
whose  wigwams  I  visited  in  succession.  These  ladies 
were  of  goodly  stature  and  comely  in  their  appearance ; 
they  all  possessed  a  choice  assortment  of  very  fine  ka- 
rosses  of  various  descriptions,  and  their  persons  were 
adorned  with  a  profusion  of  ornaments  of  beads  and 
brass  and  copper  wire.  Sichely  professed  and  was  be- 
lieved by  his  tribe  to  be  a  skillful  rain-maker,  viz.,  one 
having  the  power  of  creating  rain  when  required  for  the 
fields  and  gardens.  The  rain-maker's  art  is  a  regular 
profession  among  the  Bechuanas,  and  the  individuals 
who  practice  it  are  much  esteemed  and  highly  ven- 
erated among  their  fellow-men.  They  are  supposed  to 
work  by  supernatural  agency;  and  acting  probably  on 
the  general  principle  that  a  prophet  is  not  without  hon- 
or save  in  his  own  country,  they  invariably  practice 
their  arts  among  tribes  remote  from  their  own  partic- 
ular districts.  Their  birth  and  original  place  of  resi- 
dence are  always  involved  in  mystery,  and  they  pretend 
to  have  been  suddenly  created  in  some  lonely  cave,  or 
on  the  summit  of  a  mountain,  from  which  they  came 
in  a  state  of  manhood  without  undergoing  the  usual 
ordeal  of  birth.  Some  of  these  rain- makers  attain  to 
much  higher  reputation  than  their  fellow-necroman- 
cers: an  illustrious  character  of  this  description  is  much 


THE    RAIN-MAKERS.  63 

sought  after,  and  is  often  sent  for  from  an  amazing  dis- 
tance by  a  chief  on  whose  dominions  the  periodical  thun- 
der-storms (which  are  often  very  partial)  have  failed  to 
descend. 

The  modes  in  which  they  propitiate  the  clouds  are 
various.  The  one  most  commonly  practiced  is  by  col- 
lecting a  few  leaves  of  each  individual  variety  of  tree 
in  the  forest,  which  they  allow  to  simmer  in  large  pots 
over  a  slow  fire,  while  a  sheep  is  killed  by  pricking  it 
in  the  heart  with  a  "lemue"  or  long  sewing-needle, 
while  the  rain-maker  is  employed  in  performing  a  va- 
riety of  absurd  incantations.  The  steam  arising  from 
the  simmering  leaves  is  supposed  to  reach  and  propi- 
tiate the  clouds,  and  the  remainder  of  the  day  is  spent 
in  dances,  which  are  joined  in  by  all  the  tribe  and  kept 
up  till  midnight,  being  accompanied  with  songs  having 
a  long-continued  chorus,  in  which  all  join,  and  the  bur- 
den of  which  is  the  power  and  praises  of  the  rain-mak- 
er. It  often,  ho.wever,  happens  that  the  relentless  clouds 
decline  attending  to  the  solicitations  of  the  rain-maker, 
and  the  fields  of  young  corn  become  parched  and  witlv. 
ered.  Other  schemes  are  then  resorted  to.  A  number 
of  the  young  men  sally  forth,  and,  forming  an  extens- 
ive circle,  they  inclose  the  rocky  face  of  some  mount- 
ain-side in  which  the  rock-loving  klipspringer  is  likely 
to  be  met  with,  when,  by  gradually  contracting  their 
circle  like  our  Highlanders  of  old,  they  generally  man- 
age to  catch  alive  sundry  klipspringers,  whose  voices 
are  supposed  to  attract  rain.  The  unfortunate  little 
antelopes  thus  captured  are  paraded  round  the  kraal, 
while  the  rain-maker,  by  pinching  and  tormenting 
them,  induces  them  to  scream.  But  as  it  often  hap- 
pens that  these  and  all  his  other  machinations  prove 
unavailing,  the  rain-maker  is  at  times  obliged  event- 


G4  ADVENTURES    IN    SCUTH    AFRICA. 

ually  to  make  a  moonlight  flitting  and  cut  and  run  for 
it,  when  the  services  of  another  of  the  fraternity  are 
courted. 

When  the  rain-makers  fail  to  fulfill  their  promises, 
they  always  ascribe  their  want  of  success  to  the  pres- 
ence of  some  mysterious  agency  which  has  destroyed 
the  effect  of  their  otherwise  infallible  nostrums.  One 
of  these  anti-rain-making  articles  is  ivory,  which  is  be- 
lieved to  have  great  influence  in  driving  away  rain,  in 
consequence  of  which,  in  the  summer  season,  they  pro- 
duce it  only  as  tlie  sun  goes  down,  at  which  time  it  is 
brought  for  the  trader's  inspection  carefully  wrapped 
up  in  a  kaross.  I  remember  on  one  occasion  incurring 
the  censure  of  a  whole  tribe,  who  firmly  believed  me  to 
have  frightened  the  rain  from  their  dominions  by  ex- 
posing a  quantity  of  ivory  at  noon-day ;  and  on  another 
occasion  the  chief  of  a  certain  tribe  commanded  a  mis- 
sionary with  whom  I  am  acquainted  to  remove  all  the 
rafters  from  the  roof  of  his  house,  these  having  been 
pointed  out  by  the  rain-maker  as  obstructing  the  suc- 
cess of  his  incantations. 

The  Griquas,  taking  advantage  of  the  superstitions 
of  the  Bechuanas,  often  practice  on  their  credulity, 
and,  a  short  time  before  I  visited  Sichely,  a  party  of 
Griquas  who  were  hunting  in  his  territory  had  obtained 
from  him  several  valuable  karosses  in  barter  for  a  lit- 
tle sulphur,  which  they  represented  as  a  most  effectual 
medicine  for  guns,  having  assured  Sichely  that  by  rub- 
bing a  small  quantity  on  their  hands  before  proceeding 
to  the  field  they  would  assuredly  obtain  the  animal  they 
hunted. 

It  happened  in  the  course  of  my  converse  with  the 
chief  that  the  subject  turned  on  ball  practice,  when, 
probably  relying  on  the  power  of  his  medicine,  the  king 


BALL    PRACTICE    AND    GUN    MEDICINE.  65 

challenged  me  to  shoot  against  him  for  a  considerable 
wager,  stipulating  at  the  same  time  that  his  three 
brothers  were  to  be  permitted  to  assist  him  in  the  com- 
petition. The  king  staked  a  couple  of  valuable  ka- 
rosses  against  a  large  measure  filled  with  my  gunpow- 
der, and  we  then  at  once  proceeded  to  the  wagon,  Vv-here 
the  match  was  to  come  off,  followed  by  a  number  of 
the  tribe.  While  Sichely  was  loading  his  gun,  I  re- 
paired to  the  fore-chest  of  the  wagon,  where,  observing 
that  I  was  watched  by  several  of  the  natives,  I  pro- 
ceeded to  rub  my  hands  with  sulphur,  which  was  in- 
stantly reported  to  the  chief,  who  directly  joined  me, 
and,  clapping  me  on  the  back,  entreated  me  to  give 
him  a  little  of  my  medicine  for  his  gun,  which  I  of 
course  told  him  he  must  purchase.  Our  target  being 
set  up,  we  commenced  firing ;  it  was  a  small  piece  of 
wood  six  inches  long  by  four  in  breadth,  and  was  placed 
on  the  stump  of  a  tree  at  the  distance  of  one  hundred 
paces.  Sichely  fired  the  first  shot,  and  very  naturally 
missed  it,  upon  Avhich  I  let  fly  and  split  it  through  the 
middle.  It  was  then  set  up  again,  when  Sichely  and 
his  brothers  continued  firing,  without  once  touching  it, 
till  night  setting  in  put  an  end  to  their  proceedings. 
This,  of  course,  was  solely  attributed  by  all  present  to 
the  power  of  the  medicine  I  had  used. 

When  Dr.  Livingstone  was  informed  of  the  circum- 
stance he  was  very  much  shocked,  declaring  that  in  fu- 
ture the  natives  would  fail  to  believe  him  when  he  de- 
nounced supernatural  agency,  having  now  seen  it  prac- 
ticed by  his  own  countryman.  I  obtained  several  very 
fine  karosses,  as  also  ivory,  ostrich  feathers,  and  sundry 
interesting  curiosities,  in  barter  from  Sichely  and  his 
tribe ;  and  at  noon  on  the  27th  we  took  leave  of  Sichely 
and  started  for  Bakatla.     In  the  evenino:  of  the  follow- 


66  .VDVENTURES    IN   SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ing  day  I  lost  another  horse  of  the  distemper :  it  ^yas 
"  The  Immense  Brute  ;"  and  next  morning  the  chest- 
nut pony  also  died.  About  midnight  an  immense  herd 
of  buffaloes  came  feeding  slowly  toward  us,  and,  imag- 
ining our  oxen  to  belong  to  their  own  party,  they  con- 
tinued to  advance  until  we  were  actually  surrounded 
by  them.  I  then  arose  in  my  sleep,  and,  having  re- 
marked in  Sichuana  to  the  natives  that  the  buffaloes 
were  very  good,  I  once  more  lay  down,  utterly  uncon- 
scious of  what  I  had  done  or  spoken. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  29th  we  outspanned  at  Bak- 
atla.  A  party  of  Baralongs  were  then  on  a  visit  to 
Mosielely  on  a  trading  excursion  for  skins  for  the  manu- 
facture of  karosses.  The  head-quarters  of  these  men 
was  situated  to  the  westward  of  Motito,  on  the  borders 
of  the  great  Kalahari  desert.  Night  set  in  with  a  ter- 
rific thunder-storm,  which  prevailed  for  several  hours: 
the  lightning  was  most  painful  to  the  eyes,  and  deafen- 
ing peals  of  thunder  continually  burst  above  and  around 
us.  From  the  proximity  of  the  explosions,  we  enter- 
tained considerable  fears  for  the  safety  of  the  natives  in 
the  town,  for  the  lightning  appeared  repeatedly  to  strike 
in  that  direction  ;  and  when  the  storm  had  subsided,  a 
messenger  from  the  king  came  down  to  the  mission- 
ary's dwelling-house  to  report  that  the  kraal  occupied 
by  the  six  strangers  had  been  struck  by  the  electric 
fluid,  and  that  one  of  them  was  killed  on  the  spot,  and 
the  other  five  were  more  or  less  affected  by  the  shock. 
Dr.  Livingstone  informed  me  that  this  melancholy  event 
would  entail  great  alarm  and  uneasiness  upon  Mosiele- 
ly, since  all  the  tribes  would  blame  him  for  the  accident. 

The  following  day  was  Sunday,  and  in  the  forenoon 
Dr.  Livingstone  and  I  visited  Mosielely,  and  inspected 
the  kraal  that  had  been  struck  by  lightning.    We  found 


MAKE    A    NEW    AXLE-TREE.  67 

the  natives  engaged  in  the  most  absurd  idolatrous  rites 
to  cleanse  the  kraal  and  the  survivors  from  the  elFects 
of  the  electricity.  Unlike  the.  Romans  of  old,  these  five 
individuals  did  not  consider  tliemselves  honored  by  the 
partiality  which  the  lightning  had  evinced  for  them  ; 
huddled  together,  we  found  them  lying  speechless  and 
terrified  upon  the  ground,  their  hearts  having  died 
within  them.  On  the  1st  of  December,  with  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone's kind  assistance,  I  commenced  making  a  new 
axle-tree  for  the  wagon,  and  by  the  evening  of  that  day 
week  we  had  completed  a  good,  substantial  axle-tree 
of  seasoned  hard  wood,  mounted  with  iron  skeins,  and 
secured  it  in  its  place.  The  greatest  difficulty  we  en- 
countered  in  the  accomplishment  of  our  work  was  in 
welding  the  iron  skeins  and  fixing  them  in  their  proper 
places.  During  my  stay  at  Bakatla  I  traded  extensive- 
ly with  the  natives,  and  obtained  from  them  a  number 
of  karosses  and  various  curiosities  and  articles  of  inter- 
est. It  was  the  heat  of  summer,  and  the  sun  at  noon 
was  extremely  overpowering ;  the  atmosphere,  how- 
ever, was  occasionally  refreshed  by  thunder-storms,  ac- 
companied with  grateful  showers  of  rain,  which,  oi 
course,  was  attributed  to  the  power  of  the  rain-maker, 
and  the  vale  rang  nightly  with  loud  and  joyous  songs, 
re-echoing  his  praises  in  a  prolonged  chorus.  Before 
leaving  Bakatla  my  horse  "  Sunday"  died  of  the  dis- 
temper, which  reduced  my  stud  from  ten  to  two  ;  and, 
before  dismissing  this  subject,  I  may  mention  that  I 
managed  to  save  these  two  from  the  distemper,  and 
succeeded  in  bringing  them  back  to  the  colony,  by  pre- 
venting thein  from  eating  grass  and  by  keeping  them 
covered  at  night  with  blankets. 

On  the  11th  I  took  leave  of  my  kind  host  Dr.  Living 
stone,  and,  after  a  steady  march  of  many  days,  on  the 


68  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

2(1  of  January  I  reached  Kuruman,  where  I  was  enter- 
tained by  Mr.  Moffat  with  his  usual  kindness  and  hos- 
pitahty.  The  following  day  was  Sunday,  when  I  at- 
tended Divine  service  in  the  large  church  morning  and 
evening,  and  saw  sixteen  men  and  women  who  had 
embraced  the  Christian  fai^h  baptized  by  Mr.  Moffat. 
It  was  now  the  fruit  season,  and  the  trees  in  the  gar- 
dens of  the  missionaries  were  groaning  under  a  burden 
of  the  most  delicious  peaches,  figs,  and  apples.  The 
vines  bore  goodly  clusters  of  grapes,  but  these  had  not 
yet  ripened.  My  runaway  Hottentots  had  passed 
through  Kuruman  some  time  previous  to  my  arrival, 
and  it  was  reported  that  disease  had  overtaken  them  at 
the  missionary  station  of  Campbellsdorp,  where  they 
were  now  all  four  stretched  upon  a  bed  of  sickness,  and 
in  a  state  of  the  most  abject  want  and  misery.  Isaac 
had  likewise  made  his  appearance  in  due  course,  and 
he  came  boldly  forward  to  claim  his  wages,  which  I 
honestly  paid  him.  I  left  in  Mr.  Moffat's  kind  keeping 
one  of  the  wagons  with  its  contents  (whicii  we  stowed 
away  in  a  room  obligingly  lent  me  by  Mr.  MoHat  for 
the  purpose),  and  also  the  whole  of  my  oxen,  with  the 
exception  of  one  span,  with  which,  on  the  evening  of 
the  7th,  I  set  out  for  Koning,  which  I  reached  at  an 
early  hour  on  the  following  morning,  having  marched 
during  the  greater  portion  of  the  night. 

Leaving  Koning  on  the  afternoon  of  the  8th,  I  re- 
sumed  my  march  for  Daniel's-kuil.  Between  Koning 
and  Daniel's-kuil  occur  two  interesting  caves,  lonw 
famous  as  affording  a  residence  and  protection  to  hordes 
of  marauding  Bushmen.  The  larger  of  these  caves  is 
situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  wagon-track  ;  it  is  of 
great  size,  and  contains  a  perpetual  fountain  of  delicious 
water,  and  its  sides  have  been  adorned  by  its  Lillipu- 


CAVES    OF    THE    BUSHMEN.  69 

tian  inhabitants  with  correct  likenesses  of  most  of  the 
game  quadrupeds  of  Africa,  as  also  unicorns,  which  of 
course  they  never  saw,  and  must  therefore  have  heard 
spoken  of  by  other  men.  From  this  cave  the  Bushmen 
were  wont  to  sally  forth  not  very  long  since,  and  lift 
fat  cattle  from  the  sleek  herds  of  their  more  industrious 
neighbors,  the  Griquas  and  Bechuanas.  Returning 
with  these  cattle,  their  custom  was  to  drive  them  all 
into  the  cave,  whence,  being  v/ell  supplied  with  water, 
they  did  not  again  proceed  until  the  flesh  was  either 
rotten  or  consumed.  It  was  in  vain  that  the  exasper- 
ated owners  of  the  cattle  followed  on  their  traces  to  the 
Bushman-cave,  for  here  they  well  knew  it  was  mad- 
ness to  follow  further,  as  inevitable  death  would  be  the 
result,  by  the  poisoned  arrows  of  their  subtle  foes  within. 
At  length  the  Bushmen  became  so  frequent  and  daring 
in  their  attacks,  that  a  number  of  the  Bechuanas  held 
"  a  great  talk"  on  the  subject  (as  they  say  in  America), 
and  ended  by  resolving  to  attack  the  Bushmen,  and  ac- 
complish their  destruction  at  whatever  cost. 

Accordingly,  when  the  next  robbery  was  committed, 
the  Bechuanas  marched  upon  the  Bushman-cave,  armed 
with  large  oval  shields  and  battle-axes ;  and,  entering 
the  cave,  they  steadily  advanced  under  cover  of  their 
shields,  while  the  Bushmen's  arrows  rattled  thick  upon 
them  like  a  storm  of  hail.  The  Bechuanas  thus  con- 
tinued to  advance  until  they  came  to  close  quarters, 
when  they  cut  them  down  with  their  battle-axes.  The 
other  cave  is  situated  to  the  eastward  of  the  wagon- 
track  ;  here,  on  a  similar  occasion,  fire  was  made  use 
of  to  smoke  out  the  Bushmen,  when  those  who  escaped 
death  by  suffocation  fell  l)y  the  battle-axes  and  assagais 
of  their  foes  without. 

When  driven  to  extremity  the  Bushtnen  are  extreme- 


70  ADVENTURES    T»J    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ly  plucky,  and  show  fight  to  the  last.  In  the  year  1847, 
a  Bechuana  chief,  named  Assyabona,  who  is  nearly  re- 
lated to  Mahura,  dispatched  a  strong  party  of  his  tribe, 
armed  with  guns  and  assagais,  to  accomplish  the  de- 
struction of  a  strong  horde  of  wild  Bushmen,  whose 
robberies  had  become  so  daring  and  extensive  that  they 
were  the  terror  of  all  who  dwelt  a  hundred  miles  around 
them.  On  this  occasion  a  great  number  of  Bushmen 
were  destroyed,  having  been  overtaken  in  open  ground. 
One  determined  fellow,  having  hastily  collected  several 
of  the  quivers  of  his  dying  comrades,  which  were  full 
of  poisoned  arrows,  ensconced  himself  within  three  large 
stones,  from  which  position  he  for  a  long  time  defied 
the  whole  hostile  array  of  Bechuanas,  shooting  two  of 
them  dead  on  the  spot,  and  wounding  a  number  of 
others.  Though  continuing  gallantly  to  defend  himself, 
he  seemed  aware  that  he  could  not  possibly  escape; 
and  while  peppering  at  the  Bechuanas  and  upbraiding 
them  with  cowardice,  he  called  out  to  them  that,  if 
they  had  not  killed  his  brother  (who  lay  dead  beside 
him,  and  who  was  a  famous  marksman  among  his  fel- 
lows), it  would  have  gone  hard  with  them  that  day. 
He  was  eventually  finished  with  a  shot  in  the  forehead 
by  a  son  of  Mahura's,  chief  of  the  Batlapis,  as  he  was 
in  the  act  of  discharging  one  of  his  diminutive  yet 
deadly  shafts. 

On  the  10th  I  marched  from  Daniel's-kuil,  and  early 
on  the  12th  I  encamped  at  Campbellsdorp,  where  I 
found  Mr.  Bartlett  and  Captain  Cornelius  Kok  in  great 
force.  Here  I  at  length  overtook  my  runaway  Hotten- 
tots. Sickness  and  starvation  had  done  their  work  upon 
them,  and  they  were  so  altered  in  their  appearance  that 
I  scarcely  knew  them.  They  were  now  acting  as  serv- 
ants to  the  Griquas  who  had  nursed  them  in  their  ill- 


A   DUTCH    SWINDLER.  71 

nesS)  and  they  were  working  hard  to  earn  their  bread. 
On  inquiring  of  thera  why  they  liad  forsaken  me,  they 
said  that  they  had  started  in  a  rash  and  thoughtless 
moment,  and  that,  although  they  almost  immediately 
repented  the  step  they  had  taken,  fear  and  shame  pre- 
vented them  from  returning  to  their  duty.  Commiser- 
ating their  condition,  I  presented  them  with  the  amount 
of  their  wages  during  the  time  they  had  remained  with 
me,  and,  being  now  quite  independent  of  their  services, 
I  allowed  them  to  remain  with  the  masters  they  had 
chosen.  I  here  met  an  extremely  plausible  individual, 
a  Dutchman,  from  the  Bo-land  or  Cape  district,  who 
was  got  up  in  his  rig  at  considerable  expense.  This 
fellow  was  swindling  the  Griquas  right. and  left,  pur- 
chasing from  thera  all  their  best  cattle  at  extravagant 
prices,  and  settling  for  them  with  paper  notes,  which 
naturally  were  forged.  He  represented  himself  as  being 
one  of  a  wealthy  firm  in  Cape  Town,  and  stated  that 
two  of  his  partners  were  then  purchasing  cattle  among 
the  Boers  to  the  eastward,  from  whom  they  had  already 
collected  two  thousand  head;  which  cool  assertion  the 
Griquas  were  silly  enough  to  believe,  and  he  left  their 
country  for  the  Bo-land  with  a  large  drove  of  fat  oxen. 
Eventually,  however,  he  was  brought  to  justice,  and  I 
afterward  heard  of  his  being  safely  quartered  in  the  jail 
of  Beaufort. 

At  a  late  hour  on  the  13th  I  outspanned  my  wag- 
ons on  the  fragrant  bank  of  the  lovely  Vaal  River  by 
clear  moonlight,  and  on  the  morrow,  the  water  being 
then  fortunately  low,  I  crossed  the  river  with  little  dif- 
ficulty, and  on  the  20th  I  took  the  drift  of  the  Great 
Orange  River,  but  with  very  faint  hopes  that  my  worn- 
out  oxen  would  succeed  in  draggnig  me  through  its 
ti  'acherous  sands,  more  especially  since  two  Boers  who 


72  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

had  crossed  an  hour  previous  had  deemed  it  necessary 
to  inspan  sixteen  tearing,  well-conditioned  oxen  into 
their  light  wagons.  I  was  right  in  my  conjecture,  for 
with  infinite  flogging  and  shouting  I  got  the  wagon  half 
way  through,  when  it  stuck  fast,  and  no  efforts  could 
prevail  upon  the  oxen  to  move  it  a  yard  further.  A 
Griqua  offered  to  lend  me  on  hire  a  fresh  span  of  able- 
bodied  oxen,  when,  with  the  help  of  these  and  some  of 
my  best,  I  got  safely  through,  and  once  more  encamped 
within  her  majesty's  dominions.  While  the  wagon 
was  sticking  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  a  Boer  took  the 
drift  from  the  opposite  side  with  a  light  new  wagon  and 
twelve  superb  oxen,  which  bore  him  through  in  gallant 
style.  Resuming  my  march  for  Colesberg,  I  trekked 
on  till  near  midnight,  when  I  lost  my  way  in  the  dark. 
The  country  here  was  parched  and  arid,  not  a  blade  of 
grass  for  the  weary  oxen,  but  hopeless  sterility  stretch- 
ed far  around. 

On  the  21st  I  left  the  Bushman  to  bring  on  the  wag- 
on,  while  I  walked  ahead,  under  a  most  terrific  sun,  to 
the  farm  where  I  had  purchased  Prince  and  Bonteberg 
while  eyi  route  to  the  far  interior.  My  costume  con- 
sisted of  a  dilapidated  wide-awake  hat,  which  had  run 
the  gauntlet  with  many  a  grove  of  wait-a-bits,  a  dusty- 
looking  ragged  shirt,  and  a  pair  of  still  more  ragged- 
looking  canvas  trowsers,  which  were,  moreover,  ampu- 
tated above  the  knee,  while  my  face  was  adorned  with 
a  shaggy  red  beard,  which  toid  ensemble  imparted  to 
me  the  appearance  of  one  escaped  from  Bedlam.  As 
I  drew  near  the  farm,  its  inmates  took  fright  at  my 
wild  appearance,  and  two  of  the  Boers,  timidly  pro- 
jecting their  heads  from  the  half-closed  door,  loudly 
shouted  to  me  to  lay  down  my  gun.  I,  however,  pre- 
tended not  to  understand,  and,  ad='ancing  boldly,  I  wish- 


ARRIVAL    AT    COLESBERG GRAHAMSTOWN.  73 

ed  them  good  morning.  One  of  these  was  the  owner 
of  the  farm,  and  the  man  from  v/hom  I  had  bought  the 
dogs,  yet  nevertheless  he  failed  to  recognize  me.  He 
still  appeared  to  be  much  alarmed,  and  evidently  looked 
upon  me  as  a  dangerous  character ;  but,  commiserating 
the  transparent  texture  of  my  continuations,  he  offered 
to  lend  me  a  pair  of  leather  "crackers."  Declining  the 
proffered  apparel;  J  entered  the  house  without  ceremo- 
ny, and  having  come  to  an  anchor  I  requested  some 
milk.  Here  I  was  immediately  recognized  by  the  chil- 
dren as  "de  carle  wha  heb  vor  Bonteberg  ha-quoch," 
viz.,  the  man  that  bought  Bonteberg. 

On  the  26th  I  marched  at  dawn  of  day,  and  in  four 
hours  I  entered  the  village  of  Colesberg,  where  I  found 
my  old  friends,  the  91st,  replaced  by  a  detachment  of 
the  45th.  My  first  move  was  to  visit  the  post-office, 
where  I  was  very  much  disappointed  to  find  no  letters 
awaiting  my  arrival.  Having  off-loaded  my  wagon,  I 
handed  it  over  to  Mr.  Arnott,  the  resident  blacksmith, 
to  undergo  repairs,  of  which  it  stood  much  in  need. 
My  Bechuana  followers  were  extremely  struck  with 
the  size  and  appearance  of  Colesberg,  and  the  move- 
ments of  the  military  elicited  their  unfeigned  delight 
and  approbation.  On  the  28th  the  villagq^f  Colesberg 
was  enlightened  with  the  presence  of  Mr.  Kleinboy, 
who  arrived  with  wagons  from  Kuruman.  Having 
sought  me  out,  he  declared  himself  thoroughly  penitent 
for  all  his  former  misdemeanors,  and,  expressing  a  wish 
again  to  join  the  service,  I  re-enlisted  him. 

On  the  1st  of  February  I  left  Colesberg,  and  reached 
Grahamstown  on  the  forenoon  of  the  22d,  when  I  took 
up  my  residence  with  Captain  Hogg,  of  the  7th  Dra- 
goon Guards,  in  my  old  quarters  at  the  barracks  of  the 
Cape  Mounted  Rifles.      The  officers  of  the  7th  had 

Vol.  II.— D 


74  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

brought  out  with  them  a  pack  of  fox-hounds,  which 
while  they  lasted,  afforded  excellent  sport,  but,  unfor- 
tunately, the  climate  of  Southern  Africa,  especially  near 
the  coast,  is  so  very  unfavorable  for  well-bred  English 
dogs,  that,  although  no  trouble  nor  expense  was  spared 
in  the  management  of  these  hounds,  and  fresh  drafts 
were  constantly  exported  from  England,  and  litters  of 
pups  carefully  reared  in  the  colony,  the  pack  neverthe- 
less had  considerably  diminished.  These  hounds  were 
under  the  especial  surveillance  of  Captain  Hogg,  who 
hunted  them  in  a  manner  which  evinced  his  consum- 
mate skill  and  judgment  in  the  manly  and  ennobling 
pursuit  of  the  chase. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Bet  out  again  for  the  Far  Interior — Fort  Beaufort — Purchnse  fresh 
Steeds  and  Oxen — My  old  Servant  Carolltis  rejoins  me — Elephant 
Fountain  once  more — Hunt  Elephants — Corriebely — Obliged  to  act 
very  decidedly  with  Sicomy — Horses  and  Oxen  taken  in  Pits — Two 
Dogs  killed  by  a  Leopard — A  File  of  Bakalahari  Women  carrying 
Water  to  the  J)esert — A  sleeping  Rhinoceros  shot. — Hunting  in  the 
Neighborhood  of  Lotlokane  and  Letlocbee — The  Natives  kill  an  F,le- 
pliant — A  grim  Lion  slain — Rheumatic  Fever  attacks  me — Leave 
Bamangwato  Country — The  Game  disturbed  by  Natives — Soobie— 
Watch  nightly  for  Game  from  a  Place  of  Ambush — Vanquish  a  noble 
Lioness. 

I  CONTINUED  in  Grahamstown  until  the  7th  day  of 
March,  when  I  set  out  once  more  on  my  weary  journey 
for  the  distant  forests  of  the  far  interior.  Before  leav- 
ing the  town  I  settled  my  accounts  with  the  merchants 
from  whom  I  had  obtained  supplies,  and  who  evidently 
seemed  to  consider  my  returning  to  the  colony  as  a  very 


PURCHASES.  75 

doubtful  event.  I  engaged  a  discharged  soldier  of  the 
91st,  named  George  Martin,  in  the  capacity  of  ^head 
servant.  This  man  hailed  frcrn  Haddington,  and  bore 
an  excellent  character  on  leaving  the  regiment.  He 
was  accustomed  to  the  charge  of  horses,  in  which  he 
took  a  great  interest.  My  most  important  purcliases 
in  the  sporting  department  consisted  of  a  valuable  dou- 
ble-barreled rifle,  with  spare  shot-barrels  by  Westley 
Richards,  which  I  obtained  from  Captain  Hogg,  and 
two  right  good  steeds,  one  of  which  was  a  very  superior 
coal-black  gelding,  which  I  purchased  of  Captain  Wal- 
pole,  of  the  Engineers,  for  d£20,  which  was  considerably 
below  its  value.  I  named  this  horse  Black  Jack  ;  in 
paces  and  disposition  he  very  much  resembled  my  la- 
mented Colesberg,  and  he  was  altogether  one  of  the 
finest  horses  I  ever  mounted.  His  end  was  sudden  and 
severe  ;  for  on  a  subsequent  expedition,  along  with  an- 
other of  ray  favorite  horses,  he  was  torn  to  pieces  and 
consumed  by  a  troop  of  ruthless  lions.  The  other  horse 
which  I  purchased  was  a  gray;  and  as  it  is  probable 
that  this  horse  may  be  introduced  in  future  pages,  un- 
der the  designation  of  the  "Old  Gray,"  I  trust  the  read- 
er will  rwit  be  confounded  with  the  idea  of  the  resur- 
rection of  the  original  "Old  Gray." 

On  the  morning  of  the  9th  I  reached  Fort  Beaufort, 
when  I  encamped  at  the  mess-house  of  the  7th.  I  con- 
tinued there  until  the  morning  of  the  loth, when  I  re- 
sumed my  march  for  the  interior.  In  Fort  Beaufort  1 
purcliased  four  right  good  horses  from  the  officers  of  the 
garrison  :  one  of  these  was  a  jet  black  steed,  and  was 
named  by  his  late  master  Schwartland.  This  horse 
was  one  of  the  finest  shooting-horses  in  Southern  Af- 
rica, and  understood  his  work  so  well  that  he  seemed 
to  follow  the  game  with  all  the  eagerness  of  a  grey- 


76  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

hound,  and  yet  he  would  suddenly  halt  in  full  career 
when  I  wished  to  fire,  if  I  merely  placed  my  hand  upon 
his  neck.  From  his  back  I  subsequently  shot  many  ele- 
phants and  other  game,  and  his  name  will  often  appear 
in  after  pages.  At  the  farm  of  Messrs.  Nelson  and 
Blane  I  purchased  two  more  horses,  which  I  called 
Brown  Jock  and  Mazeppa,  and  also  a  span  of  oxen  and 
some  milch  cows. 

On  the  2d  of  April  I  entered  the  village  of  Colesberg, 
where  I  was  actively  employed  in  making  final  prepa- 
rations for  my  distant  campaign  until  the  9th.  I  en- 
gaged two  Hottentot  servants  named  Booi  and  Klein- 
feldt,  the  latter  individual  being  one  of  those  who  had 
forsaken  my  banner  at  Bootlonamy,  and  I  purchased 
two  more  valuable  steeds,  which  increased  my  stud  to 
ten  very  superior  young  horses.  I  also  purchased  a 
number  of  rough,  long-legged  serviceable  dogs,  of  a  va- 
riety of  breeds,  which,  with  several  other  ragged-look- 
ing tykes  that  I  subsequently  purchased  from  Boers 
along  the  line  of  march,  increased  my  kennel  to  about 
twenty  business-like  dogs.  At  sunrise  on  the  9th  we 
marched  out  of  the  village  and  held  on  until  we  reach- 
ed the  Orange  River  at  Boata's  Drift,  where  we  out- 
spanned  beneath  the  shade  of  a  grove  of  willows.  Hav- 
ing crossed  the  river  on  horseback,  it  proved  too  deep 
to  take  the  wagons  over,  but  I  had  the  consolation  to 
remark  that  the  waters  were  on  the  ebb,  and  by  the 
forenoon  of  the  following  day  they  had  so  far  subsided 
that  I  was  enabled  to  cross  the  great  river  without  wet- 
ting my  cargo.  The  ascension  of  the  opposite  side 
proved  extremely  severe,  being  an  almost  perpendicular 
bank  of  soft  sand,  and  I  was  obliged  to  relieve  the  wag- 
on of  half  its  load  before  the  oxen  could  drag  it  to  the 
more  practicable  road  beyond. 


HERD    OF    ELEPHANTS.  77 

I  was  now  all  anxiety  to  reach  my  Fountain  of  Ele 
phants,  and  pushed  on  with  all  speed  for  Massouey.  On 
the  15th,  just  as  I  had  reached  the  Bastard  kraal  of 
Rhama,  I  fell  in  with  ray  old  servant  CaroUus,  who 
had  absconded  from  me  at  Bootlonamy.  He  was  in 
company  with  the  wagons  belonging  to  Mr.  David 
Hume,  the  trader,  on  their  return  to  the  colony,  but, 
meeting  with  his  old  companions  Kleinfeldt  and  Klein- 
boy,  he  resolved  to  turn  about  and  re-enter  my  service, 
which  I  was  not  sorry  for,  as  I  was  short  of  hands  for 
the  distant  expedition  I  was  about  to  make.  I  also  fell 
in  with  Captain  Arkwright  and  Mr.  Christie,  who  were 
proceeding  up  the  country  on  a  similar  expedition  to 
my  own. 

On  the  16th  of  May  I  halted  at  Chouaney,  at  the 
residence  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  who  told  me  that  one  or 
two  troops  of  elephants  had  been  frequenting  the  dis- 
trict. With  one  of- these  I  fell  in  on  the  20th,  when  I 
had  an  opportunity  of  testing  the  sportsmanlike  qual- 
ities of  my  new  servant  Martin.  The  troop  consisted 
of  nine  bull  elephants,  the  finest  of  which  I  shot,  but 
Martin,  after  selecting  the  poorest  of  the  lot,  ultimate- 
ly lost  him.  We  now  pressed  on  as  rapidly  as  possi- 
ble for  my  favorite  fountain  Massouey,  which  we  at 
length  reached  on  the  29th. 

I  felt  sincere  pleasure  in  revisiting  this  very  inter- 
esting spot.  I  found  it  well  frequented  by  the  ele- 
phants. Two  troops  of  cows  and  three  old  bulls  had 
drunk  there  on  the  preceding  night.  When  the  wag- 
ons came  up  to  my  old  halting-place,  I  took  a  hasty 
breakfast,  and  then  started  on  the  spoor  of  an  enormous 
old  bull.  After  following  him  north  for  about  six  miles, 
we  lost  him  in  the  spoor  of  a  troop  of  cows;  I  accord- 
ingly followed  the  spoor  of  the  cows,  and  soon  came  up 


78  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

with  them.  The  troop  consisted  in  all  of  about  ten, 
but  there  were  only  three  full-grown  cows  in  the  troop; 
each  of  these  three,  unluckily,  went  off  in  different  di- 
rections, I  rode  within  twenty  yards  of  the  best,  and, 
halting,  put  two  balls  close  behind  her  shoulder,  and, 
calling  to  Martin  to  finish  her,  galloped  after  the  sec- 
ond best.  I  soon  got  a  view  of  her,  and  in  three  min- 
utes had  turned  her  head  toward  camp,  and  presently 
rolled  her  over  with  about  six  shots.  Martin  and  the 
Bushman  not  appearing  when  two  hours  had  elapsed, 
I  rode  to  camp,  where,  to  my  astonishment,  I  found 
my  servant,  who  had  actually  lost  my  elephant  through 
the  most  inexcusable  want  of  pluck.  I  was  very  much 
annoyed,  and  regretted  having  attacked  the  troop  at  all. 

At  dawn  of  day  MoUyeon  and  I  walked  to  the  fount- 
ain to  seek  for  elephants'  spoor.  A  troop  of  cows,  sev- 
eral small  bulls,  and  two  well-grown  bulls,  had  drunk 
during  the  night,  besides  an  immense  number  of  rhi- 
noceroses, perhaps  twenty.  I  made  a  hasty  breakfast, 
and  then  took  up  the  spoor  of  the  two  best  bulls,  with 
one  after-rider.  The  spoor  led  nearly  southeast.  Aft- 
er following  it  for  about  six  miles,  we  found  ourselves 
in  an  elevated  part  of  the  forest,  which  commanded  a 
fine  view  of  the  mountains  to  the  east,  and  here  Mol- 
lyee  climbed  to  the  summit  of  a  sandal-wood  tree  to 
try  if  he  could  see  the  elephants.  He  could  not  see 
those  we  were  spooring ;  but  he  saw  three  other  bull 
elephants,  about  three  parts  grown,  feeding  slowly 
along,  steering  about  north  ;  after  a  short  and  danger- 
ous conflict,  I  slew  the  best  with  five  bullets. 

We  then  followed  up  the  spoor  of  one  of  our  first  ele- 
phants, which  had  now  taken  a  northerly  course.  Aft- 
er following  it  up  very  sharply  for  about  five  miles 
through  very  open  CDuntry,  we   reached  some  denso 


HERD    OF    BULL    ELEPHANTS  79 

Wait-a-bit  cover,  where  we  discovered  our  friend  hiding 
himself  within  twenty  yards  of  us.  He  took  away  at 
once  through  the  thickest  of  the  cover,  and  on  my  ap- 
proaching for  a  shot  he  made  the  most  terrific  charge 
after  me,  sending  kirge  thorny  trees  flying  like  grass 
before  him.  When  he  halted  after  this  charge,  I  sent 
a  ball  through  his  ribs,  and  he  then  made  clean  away, 
and  got  into  better  country.  Here  I  fought  with  him 
for  about  an  hour,  and  gave  him  sixteen  shots  from  the 
saddle.  My  horse  was  extremely  troublesome,  and  in- 
variably destroyed  the  correctness  of  my  aim  ;  the  ele- 
phant was  fierce  and  active,  and  made  repeated  charges 
with  very  destructive  intentions  ;  at  length  he  turned 
and  regained  the  dense  thorny  cover,  in  which  I  lost 
him. 

Oti  the  morning  of  June  1st,  before  the  sun  rose, 
ISIolIyeon  and  I  walked  to  the  fountain  to  see  if  ele- 
phants had  drunk.  Ten  bull  elephants  had  been  there, 
and  had  all  gone  off  together,  holding  a  .southeasterly 
course;  this  was  glorious.  I  started  on  the  spoor  with 
five  natives,  and  Kleinfeldt  as  after-rider  on  Dread- 
naught.  I  took  eight  of  my  dogs,  all  led  in  strings, 
and  rode  Schwartland,  my  best  shooting-horse.  After 
following  the  spoor  for  about  five  miles,  we  found  our- 
selves to  leeward  of  the  elephant  I  had  shot  on  Satur- 
day, and  here  the  elephants  had  smelled  the  blood, 
and  started  off  in  great  fear,  going  clean  away  through 
open  country,  steering  one  point  west  of  south.  They 
got  into  an  old  elephant  foot-path,  and  held  steadily  on 
for  many  miles,  not  halting  to  break  one  branch  or  to 
})low  the  ground.  The  leading  native  said  he  did  not 
expect  to  see  them,  and  I  was  certainly  of  the  same 
opinion.  At  length  they  got  into  a  thickly-wooded 
part  of  the  country,  and  although  they  were  still  hold- 


feO  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ing  clean  away  up  wind,  they  had  occasionally  hnlte* 
to  feed.  Here  I  started  an  oryx.  We  presently  reach- 
ed the  border  of  a  very  wide  open  country,  where  the 
spoor  took  a  turn  to  the  east.  We  proceeded  a  fe\r 
hundred  yards  further,  when  we  had  the  unexpected 
satisfaction  to  behold  the  mighty  squadron  drawn  up 
in  the  open  cover,  in  open  order,  two  hundred  yards 
ahead.  Some  of  them  stood  motionless  as  statues, 
others  moved  slowly  here  and  there,  and  browsed  upon 
the  trees. 

The  troop  consisted  of  ten  bull  elephants:  eight  of 
them  were  about  three  parts  grown ;  the  other  two  were 
enormous  old  elephants,  in  magnificent  condition.  We 
halted  and  gave  the  dogs  water,  and  I  then  rode  slow- 
ly round  the  elephants  to  ascertain  which  was  the  best. 
After  riding  twice  along  their  front,  they  all,  as  if  by 
one  accord,  turned  their  faces  to  me,  and  advanced  leis- 
urely within  forty  yards,  giving  me  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity of  making  my  choice.  At  length  they  saw  me, 
and,  sounding  the  alarm,  all  made  off  together  in  great 
consternation.  I  galloped  alongside  of  them  to  make 
my  final  choice,  and  selected  the  largest  elephant.  1 
had  some  difficulty  in  getting  him  clear  of  his  com- 
rades, some  of  which  were  extremely  fierce,  and  were 
trumpeting  along,  with  their  tails  and  trunks  aloft. 
At  length  I  got  him  clear;  all  my  dogs  had  gone  ofi'to 
the  right  and  left  after  other  elephants,  and  Dread- 
naught  came  galloping  up  to  me,  having  thrown  my 
after-rider,  who  did  not  succeed  in  recapturing  him. 

My  elephant  now,  hearing  the  barking  and  trumpet- 
ing on  every  side,  halted  beside  a  bushy  tree,  with  his 
head  high,  and  right  to  me:  but,  presently  turning  his 
broadside,  I  gave  it  him  sharp  right  and  left  after  the 
shoulder;  and  the  dogs,  hearing  the  shots,  came  up  to 


A   FURIOUS    CONFLICT.  81 

my  assistance.  The  conflict  now  became  fast  and  furi- 
ous ;  I  had  very  pleasant  work  with  this  fine  old  ele- 
phant. My  horse  behaved  very  well,  and  the  elephant's 
fury  and  attention  were  chiefly  directed  toward  the  dogs, 
who  stuck  well  to  him ;  but  he  was  by  far  the  toughest 
elephant  to  finish  that  I  have  ever  engaged  with.  I  gave 
him  thirty-five  balls,  all  about  and  behind  his  shoulder, 
and  discharged  at  distances  varying  from  fifteen  to 
thirty-five  yards,  before  he  would  halt  and  die.  At 
length  he  reduced  his  pace  to  a  very  slow  walk  ;  blood 
flowed  from  his  trunk  and  all  his  wounds,  leaving  the 
ground  behind  him  a  mass  of  gore;  his  frame  shudder- 
ed violently,  his  mouth  opened  and  shut,  his  lips  quiv- 
ered, his  eyes  were  filled  with  tears;  he  halted  beside 
a  thorny  tree,  and,  having  turned  right  about,  he  rock- 
ed forward  and  backward  for  a  few  seconds,  and,  falling 
heavily  over,  his  ancient  spirit  fled.  The  natives  now 
came  up,  and,  having  promised  to  go  on  the  spoor  of 
my  horse  Dreadnaught,  I  returned  to  Massouey,  hav- 
ing off-saddled  for  an  hour. 

No  elephants  having  drank  at  the  fount  for  some 
days,  on  the  5th  I  resolved  to  leave  my  favorite  Mas- 
souey. I  accordingly  marched  about  1  P.M.  I  passed 
Corriebely  an  hour  before  dark :  there  was  water  enough 
for  the  horses.  Here  I  met  Mutchuisho  with  a  large 
party  of  Bcchuanas,  sent  by  Sicomy  to  endeavor  to  make 
me  come  and  trade  with  him.  I  halted  for  an  hour 
after  sunset,  and  then  inspanned  and  trekked  on  till 
the  moon  went  down,  when  I  halted  near  my  old  out- 
spanning-place,  having  performed  a  very  long  and  dif- 
ficult march. 

On  the  6th,  a  very  cold  morning,  we  trekked  at  dawn 
of  day,  and  in  about  three  hours  reached  Lesausau,  a 
bold  and  romantic  gorge  in  the  Bamangwato  Mount- 

D2 


82  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ains,  in  the  depths  of  which  was  a  strong  fountain 
Sicomy  soon  made  his  appearance,  and  bothered  all  day; 
but  he  did  not  produce  any  ivory.  At  night  I  watched 
the  fountain  in  the  bold  ravine,  and  shot  two  old  black 
rhinoceroses,  bull  and  cow,  with  my  smooth  bore  carry- 
ing six  to  the  pound.  Both  of  these  ran  considerable 
distances,  but  were  found  by  the  natives.  Along  with 
the  cow  borele  were  two  other  old  bulls,  who  fought 
together  for  three  hours  alongside  of  me. 

On  the  7th  Sicomy  made  his  appearance  early,  and 
toward  evening  bought  powder  and  lead  with  seven 
elephants'  teeth.  Soon  after  this  bargain  was  con- 
cluded he  ordered  men  to  take  away  the  teeth,  and  he 
threw  me  back  the  powder ;  but  on  my  kicking  back  the 
powder,  and  swearing  I  would  shoot  the  first  man  who 
touched  the  ivory,  he  relinquished  the  idea. 

On  the  succeeding  day  Sicomy  prowled  about  the 
vagons  all  day,  and  bothered  me  so  that  I  at  last  lost 
my  temper,  and  swore  at  him.  The  natives  held  a  con- 
sultation for  a  few  minutes,  which  ended  by  their  say- 
ing that  they  were  all  going  to  leave  m'e.  I  said  that 
T  was'happy  to  hear  it.  They  then  decamped  to  a 
man  ;  but  in  an  hour  four  of  my  old  acquaintances  ap- 
peared, and  said  that  the  captain  wished  me  to  come 
and  see  him ;  but  I  replied  that  I  was  sick,  and  going 
to  sleep.  In  another  hour  he  made  his  appearance; 
and  on  asking  him  what  I  had  done  that  he  had  called 
all  his  men  away,  he  replied  that  they  had  gone  away 
to  have  a  sleep.  Presently  Arkwright  and  Christie 
,\jde  up  to  my  wagons :  theirs  were  at  hand.  On  the 
maich  they  had  lost  one  ox  and  two  horses  in  pitfalls. 
At  night  Arkwright  a'nd  I  watched  the  v/ater,  but  did 
not  get  a  shot. 

On  the  9th  Sicomy  brought  me  ivory.     He  asked  me 


TRADING    WITH    SICOM"i  83 

to  go  to  my  hunting-ground,  saying  that  he  would  trade 
with  me  there.  He  was  very  anxious  to  separate  the 
two  parties.  As  soon  as  possible,  therefore,  I  inspan- 
ned,  and  trekked  down  the  broad  strath,  steering  south, 
although  the  natives  asserted  that  I  should  find  no 
water,  and  tried  to  guide  me  north.  After  trekking 
about  eight  miles,  much  to  the  annoyance  of  the  Ba- 
marigwatos,  I  discovered  the  residence  of  the  Bahwas, 
where  I  halted  for  the  night,  having  sent  a  message  to 
Schooey,  the  old  chief,  that  I  would  trade  with  him 
next  day. 

The  next  day  the  old  chief,  with  his  wives  and  no- 
bility, appeared  at  an  early  hour,  and  by  mid-day  I  had 
purchased  several  tusks  of  elephants ;  also  two  very  fine 
karosses  of  leopard-skin,  &c.  I  then  inspanned,  and  in 
two  hours"!  got  clear  of  the  Bamangwato  Mountains, 
when  I  held  about  east,  through  thick  forest,  halting 
for  the  night  beside  a  small  fount,  where  the  horses 
could  not  drink.  On  the  march  pallah  were  abundant 
and  very  tame. 

On  the  morning  of  the  12th  Sicomy  came  to  my  fire- 
side, and  said  he  was  going  to  trade  with  me.  A  party 
of  Bakalahari  had  arrived  a  little  before,  bearing  twenty- 
nine  elephants'  teeth.  After  some  trouble  we  set  the 
trading  a  going,  and  in  about  three  hours  I  had  purchas- 
ed ten  bull  and  ten  cow  elephants'  teeth  for  ten  mus- 
kets, and  seven  other  cow  elephants'  teeth  for  powder, 
lead,  and  flints.  I  then  bought  two  kobaoba  knobker- 
ries.  At  this  moment  natives  came  in,  and  reported 
elephants  to  have  drunk  within  a  mile  during  the  night. 
This  caused  an  immense  bustle:  in  twenty  minutes  I 
was  under  way,  with  two  after-riders  and  a  party  of 
good  spoorers,  followed  by  about  a  hundred  and  fifty 
titarving  natives.     We  tcok  up  the  spoor  a  mile  to  the 


84  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

south,  and  followed  it  due  east  until  the  sun  went  down, 
when  we  halted  for  the  night.  While  spooring  we  met 
the  country  in  flames  far  and  wide,  but  we  crossed  the 
fire,  and  found  the  spoor  beyond.  We  saw  a  troop  of 
eight  fat  male  elands,  and  a  troop  of  eight  giraffes. 

Next  day  we  followed  the  spoor  for  several  miles  in 
an  easterly  course,  when  it  took  a  turn  to  the  north- 
west, through  most  horrible  wait-a-bit  thorns.  About 
mid-day  we  came  up  with  the  elephants.  The  troop 
consisted  of  one  mighty  bull,  and  two  bulls  three  parts 
grown.  I  first  shot  the  best  of  the  two  small  bulls,  and 
then  the  old  bull.  The  natives  and  all  my  dogs  had 
kept  him  in  view,  and  one  fellow  had  pricked  him  in 
the  stern  with  an  assagai.  Upon  the  strength  of  this, 
the  Bechuanas  came  up  and  claimed  him  as  theirs 
when  he  fell ;  but  on  my  threatening  to  leave  their 
country,  they  relinquished  the  idea. 

On  the  16th  and  17th  I  bagged  two  first-rate  bull 
elephants  in  the  level  forests  to  the  eastward  of  Mang- 
maluky. 

On  the  18th,  after  breakfast,  I  rode  to  Mangmaluky 
to  water  my  horses.  One  old  bull  elephant  had  been 
there,  but  the  natives  had  too  much  flesh,  and  would 
not  spoor.  I  rested  all  day,  expecting  my  wagons,  but 
they  did  not  appear.  At  night  a  panther  came  within 
ten  yards  of  my  fire,  and  killed  Cradock  and  disabled 
Wolf,  my  two  best  elephant  dogs. 

On  the  21st  I  held  south,  down  a  beautiful  wide  val 
ley  full  of  very  green  trees  of  various  kinds.  This  v>'^as 
evidently  a  favorite  haunt  with  the  elephants:  every 
tree  bore  their  marks.  At  the  southern  end  of  this  val- 
ley was  one  of  the  most  interesting  fountains  I  ever  be- 
held; the  water  came  gushing  down  through  the  wild- 
est chasm,  formed  of  one  succession  of  huge  masses  of 


ESCAPE    OF    A   HERD    OF    ELEPHANTS.  85 

rock  of  all  shapes  and  sizes,  thrown  loosely  together 
in  some  places,  and  in  others  piled  high  one  above  an- 
other, as  if  by  the  hand  of  some  giant.  All  the  ground 
and  rock  about  the  fountain  were  covered  with  a  layer 
of  elephants'  dung  about  a  foot  deep.  We  had  pro- 
ceeded about  half  way  up  the  valley  when  we  heard 
elephants  trumpeting  ahead  of  us:  it  was  a  very  fine 
troop  of  cows.  There  was  one  cow  in  the  troop  larger, 
I  think,  than  any  I  had  ever  before  seen.  On  this  occa- 
sion I  was  extremely  unfortunate.  I  began  by  sending 
two  balls  into  the  shoulder  of  the  fine  cow  just  as  they 
were  charging  into  a  dense  cover  of  wait-a-bits.  The 
dogs  took  after  two  calves,  which  I  was  obliged  to 
shoot;  the  natives,  in  attempting  to  assagai  them,  kill- 
ed Bluma  and  wounded  Alert  in  the  loin.  The  ele- 
phants were  hiding  in  the  thorns,  and  no  man  knew  or 
seemed  to  care  where  they  were.  At  this  moment  wo 
beheld  another  fine  troop  of  cow  elephants  going  along 
the  wooded  mountain  side  opposite  to  us.  I  immedi- 
ately made  for  them,  and  had  the  mortification  to  see 
them  gain  a  neck  in  the  mountain  just  above  my  head 
as  I  got  within  two  hundred  yards  of  them.  I  now  re- 
turned to  the  thorny  cover,  where  we  found  the  covrs 
concealed.  The  natives  eventually  drove  them  out  on 
the  wrong  side  of  the  cover  without  warning  me,  and, 
to  my  extreme  vexation,  this  troop  of  cows  got  away 
without  my  killing  one.  I  was  extremely  sorry  to  lose 
the  large  cow  elephant :  she  carried  a  pair  of  most  beaa- 
tiful  and  perfect  teeth.  I  slept  near  the  fountain,  where 
I  picked  up  a  piece  of  a  tooth  of  a  cow  elephant. 

On  the  29th  of  June  I  reached  a  water  called  Lotlo. 
kane,  and  hunted  in  the  neighbohrood  for  several  days, 
bagging  some  very  fine  elephants. 

On  the  13th  of  July  I  held  'west  with  Mollyeon  and 


66  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

about  twenty  natives  on  the  spoor  of  bull  elephants  two 
days  old.  In  the  desert  I  came  upon  a  troop  of  about 
twenty  elands,  the  best  of  which  I  rode  into  and  slew. 
In  the  evening  we  took  up  fresher  spoor  of  three  old 
bull  elephants ;  but  night  setting  in,  we  halted  beneath 
a  shady  tree. 

Early  in  the  morning  we  resumed  the  spoor,  which 
led  us  due  west  along  the  borders  of  the  desert  without 
a  check  until  sundown.  We  had  now  spoored  these 
elephants  a  very  great  distance,  and  the  horses  had  not 
had  water  since  the  morning  of  the  preceding  day.  I 
felt  compassion  for  the  thirsty  steeds,  and  was  on  the 
point  of  turning,  when,  lo !  a  string  of  Bakalahari  wom- 
en were  seen  half  a  mile  before  us,  each  bearing  on  her 
head  an  immense  earthen  vase  and  wooden  bowl  con- 
taining water.  They  had  been  to  a  great  distance  to 
draw  water  at  a  small  fountain,  and  were  now  return- 
ing to  their  distant  desert  home.  This  was  to  us  a  per- 
fect God-send.  The  horses  and  dogs  got  as  much  as 
they  could  drink,  and  all  our  vessels  were  replenished. 
The  sun  being  now  under,  we  halted  for  the  night. 

At  sunrise  we  resumed  the  spoor,  and  after  follow- 
ing it  for  about  ten  miles,  and  finding  that  these  ele- 
phants  had  gone  clean  away  into  the  desert  beyond  the 
reach  of  man,  we  gave  it  up,  and  made  for  the  fountain 
where  the  women  had  drawn  the  water  on  the  preceding 
day.  On  reaching  the  fountain  wo  found  that  four 
bull  elephants  had  drunk  there  during  the  night.  It 
was  a  soft,  sandy  soil,  and  the  spoor  was  beautifully 
visible.  I  had  never  seen  larger  spoor  than  that  of  two 
of  these ;  they  had  fed  slowly  away  from  the  fountain, 
and  we  followed  on  with  high  hopes  of  seeing  them 
that  day. 

At  length  we  got  into  a  more  densely  wooded  coun. 


A    BLACK    RHINOCEROS    SHOT.  87 

try,  and  presently  observed  the  elephants  standing  in 
the  forest  about  one  hundred  yards  off.  Having  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  the  dogs,  I  shifted  my  saddle  to  Jock, 
and  rode  slowly  forward  to  inspect  the  mighty  game. 
Two  of  the  elephants  were  but  three  parts  grown  ;  the 
other  two  were  very  large,  but  one  of  them  w^as  a  great 
deal  taller  and  stouter  than  the  other.  This  immense 
elephant,  which  was,  I  think,  decidedly  the  largest  I 
had  ever  seen,  had  unfortunately  both  his  tusks  broken 
short  off  close  to  the  lip  ;  I  therefore  hunted  his  com- 
rade, who  carried  a  pair  of  very  beautiful  and  perfect 
tusks.  At  the  sixth  shot  he  came  to  a  stand  and  pres- 
ently fell.  I  then  dismounted  and  ran  up  to  him,  wdien 
he  rose  to  his  feet  and  stood  some  time,  and  then  walk- 
ed a  few  paces,  and  fell  again  and  died.  On  going  up 
to  him  I  found  that  he  carried  the  finest  teeth  I  had  yet 
obtained;  they  must  have  weighed  one  hundred  pounds 
each.  He  was  an  extremely  old  bull,  and  had  been 
once  much  wounded  with  assagais,  the  blades  of  two  of 
which  were  found  in  his  back. 

On  the  17th  I  made  for  camp,  and  held  through  a 
fine  open  country  lying  northwest  from  Corriebely.  In 
following  some  ostriches  I  came  upon  an  extremely  old 
and  noble  black  rhinoceros  lying  fast  asleep  in  some 
low  wait-a-bits.  The  birds  having  tried  in  vain  to 
waken  him,  I  fired  from  the  saddle.  The  first  ball  hit 
him  as  he  lay  in  the  shoulder ;  the  second  near  his 
heart,  as  he  gained  his  feet.  In  an  instant  the  dogs 
were  round  him ;  he  set  off  down  hill  at  a  steady  can- 
ter, and  led  me  a  chase  of  a  mile,  when  he  came  to  a 
stand,  his  shoulder  failing  him.  At  this  instant  I  be- 
held a  troop  of  about  twenty  fine  elands  trotting  before 
me  on  the  open  slope;  I  therefore  quickly  finished  the 
black  rhinoceros  with  two  more  balls,  and  then  gave 


88  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

chase  to  the  elands.  I  bagged  the  two  best  in  the  troop, 
a  bull  and  cow,  the  latter  about  the  fattest  I  have  ever 
seen.  I  brought  the  bull  withm  one  hundred  yards  of 
the  chukuroo. 

At  dawn  next  day  I  shot,  from  the  spot  I  had  slept 
on,  a  springbok,  running,  through  the  heart,  at  one 
hundred  yards.  After  cutting  off  the  horns  of  the  black 
rhinoceros,  I  held  on  for  Letlocbee,  and  slept  at  Lebo- 
tane,  a  very   strong  and  perpetual  fountain. 

On  the  19th,  at  sunrise,  I  pursued  my  march  to  the 
famous  fountain  of  Letlocbee,  to  which  I  removed  my 
camp.  On  the  24th  I  left  Letlocbee,  and  marched  upon 
Lotlokanc. 

In  the  forenoon  of  the  next  day  I  rode  out  to  look  for 
koodoos  without  success.  While  riding  through  the 
forest  I  came  upon  the  bloody  spoor  of  an  elephant ;  he 
had  been  evidently  hunted  by  natives.  The  elephant 
was  not  far  away,  for,  following  the  spoor  a  few  hund- 
red yards,  I  came  upon  about  sixty  natives,  who  were 
hanging  the  flesh  in  garlands  upon  the  thorny  trees  all 
around.  This  was  an  old  bull  elephant,  and  was  quite 
lame,  when  the  Bechuanas  found  him,  from  a  ball- 
wound  in  the  shoulder.  On  returning  to  camp,  one  of 
my  Hottentots,  who  had  been  after  some  strayed  oxen, 
stated  that  he  had  come  upon  a  buffalo  newly  killed  b) 
a  lion,  and  that  the  lion  was  lying  in  the  bushes  close 
by,  watching  his  prey.  Having  taken  some  coffee,  I 
saddled  up  three  horses  and  rode  for  the  lion,  with  Booi 
and  Kleinboy  carrying  my  Moore  and  Westley  Rich- 
ards, and  accompanied  by  all  my  dogs.  As  we  ap- 
proached the  carcass  of  the  buffalo,  which  lay  in  a  wait- 
a-bit  thorn  cover,  the  dogs  all  dashed  away  to  my  left, 
and  in  an  instant  they  gave  tongue,  which  was  imme* 
diately  followed  by  the  deep  and  continued,  growling  of 


A    LION    SHOT.  89 

the  lion  ;  he  seemed  to  be  advancing  right  to  where  we 
stood.  I  turned  my  head  to  ask  Kleinboy  for  my  shoot- 
ing-horse, which  he  had  ridden  to  the  field  of  bittle, 
but  my  trusty  after-riders  had  fled  on  hearing  the  first 
growl  of  the  advancing  lion.  I  beheld  Booi  swept  out 
of  the  saddle  by  the  bough  of  a  tree,  and  fall  heavily  to 
the  ground  with  my  pet  rifle ;  while  Kleinboy,  with 
my  other  gun,  was  charging  p^nic-stricken  in  another 
direction.  After  a  short  chase  I  came  up  with  Klein- 
boy, who  did  not  lack  my  blessing;  and  having  changed 
horses  and  got  my  gun  from  him,  I  galloped  to  meet 
the  grim  lion. 

Ye  gods !  what  a  savage  he  looked.  The  whole  of 
his  mane  was  deeply  tinged  with  the  blood  of  the  buf- 
falo, and  the  rays  of  the  declining  sun  added  to  it  a  lus- 
ter which  imparted  to  the  now  exasperated  lion  a  look 
of  surpassing  fierceness.  He  was  making  for  the  ad- 
jacent rocky  mountains,  and  he  marched  along  in  front 
of  the  dogs  with  his  tail  stuck  straight  out,  stepping 
along  with  an  air  of  the  most  consummate  pride  and 
independence.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  lose,  so  I 
galloped  forward  on  one  side,  and  then  rode  in  slowly 
to  get  a  near  shot ;  as  he  approached  I  came  within 
thirty  yards  of  him,  and,  halting  my  horse,  I  fired  for 
his  heart  from  the  saddle.  On  receiving  the  ball  he 
wheeled  about,  when  I  gave  him  the  second  a  little  be- 
low the  first ;  he  then  walked  or  ran  about  ten  yards 
forward  and  fell  dead.  This  was  a  very  large  old  lion; 
he  had  cleaned  his  buflalo  very  nicely,  dragging  up  all 
the  offal  into  a  heap  at  a  distance  from  the  carcass,  and 
he  had  watched  it  all  day  to  keep  away  the  vultures, 
&c.     The  buffalo  carried  a  very  fine  head. 

On  the  26th,  feeling  in  very  indifferent  health,  I  re- 
mained at  home  and  stretched  the  lion's  skin. 


90  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

The  next  day,  after  breakfast,  I  rode  np  the  wilJ 
glen  above  camp,  intending  to  seek  for  bastard  gems- 
bok  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains.  I  had  ridden 
half  way  up  the  glen,  when  lo !  the  long-wished  for 
lovely  sable  antelope  stood  right  in  my  path  ;  a  prince- 
ly old  buck  :  he  stood  about  two  hundred  yards  ahead, 
looking  at  me.  Having  heard  that  dogs  can  easily 
catch  this  antelope,. and  having  all  my  dogs  at  my  heels, 
I  sent  them  ahead,  and  fired  a  shot  to  encourage  them; 
in  half  a  minute  they  were  at  the  heels  of  the  pota- 
quaine,  and  turned  him  dow"n  hill.  He  crossed  the  glen 
before  me,  and  dashed  up  a  very  rough  and  rocky  pass 
in  the  rocks  to  my  right,  the  dogs  following,  but  con- 
siderably thrown  out.  I  listened  to  hear  a  bay,  but 
listened  in  vain ;  to  follow  on  horseback  was  impossi- 
ble. I  therefore  galloped  round  to  an  opposite  point, 
and  listened  with  breathless  anxiety,  standing  in  my 
stirrups  to  catch  one  sharp  note  from  my  trusty  dogs. 
Nor  did  I  wait  long :  in  a  distant  hollow  in  the  rocks  I 
could  faintly  hear  my  dogs  at  bay. 

My  heart  beat  high  ;  it  must  be  the  sable  antelope, 
and  the  dogs  would  never  leave  him.  Already  I  felt 
that  he  was  mine,  and  with  a  joyous  heart  I  urged 
Mazeppa  over  the  most  fearful  masses  of  adamantine 
rock,  and  at  last  came  into  the  hollow,  where  my  dogs 
were  keeping  up  a  furious  bay.  Some  thick  bushes 
concealed  the  game  from  my  view ;  I  peeped  over  these, 
and,  to  my  intense  disappointment,  instead  of  the  sable 
antelope,  I  beheld  an  old  bull  koodoo  fighting  gallantly 
for  his  life.  I  bowled  him  over  with  a  shot  in  the  heart, 
and  rode  to  follow  two  other  sabh  antelopes  which  I 
had  seen  on  the  face  of  a  rocky  hill  while  galloping 
round  the  rocks  to  seek  for  my  dogs.  I  had  ridden  a 
few  hundred  yards,  when,  high  above  me  on  the  ahoul- 


A  SABLE  ANTELOPE  BAGGED.  91 

der  of  a  rocky  and  well- wooded  mountain  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  ravine,  I  detected  a  fourth  sable  an- 
telope, a  fine  old  buck.  I  rode  into  the  deep  ravine, 
and,  having  secured  the  steeds,  I  stripped  to  my  shirt, 
and  ascended  the  bold  face  to  stalk  him. 

I  held  for  a  little  to  leeward  of  where  I  had  marked 
him ;  the  Bushman  followed  with  Boxer  on  a  string. 
When  I  gained  the  summit  I  proceeded  with  extreme 
caution,  and  at  length  beheld  him  through  tlie  trees 
within  a  hundred  yards  of  me  ;  I  crept  about  ten  yards 
nearer,  and  then  lay  till  he  should  move ;  this  he  pres- 
ently did.  He  walked  obligingly  forward,  and  stood 
broadside  in  all  his  glory,  with  his  magnificent  cimeter- 
shaped  horns  sweeping  back  over  his  haunches.  I  fired. 
The  ball  broke  his  fore  leg  in  the  shoulder,  and  he 
dropped  on  his  face,  but,  recovering  himself,  gained  his 
legs,  and  limped  slowly  over  the  ridge.  Boxer  imme- 
diately appeared,  and  was  beside  me  just  as  I  peeped  over 
the  ridge,  and  beheld  the  wounded  buck  looking  back 
within  fifty  yards  of  me.  On  seeing  Boxer  he  turned 
about,  and  as  he  turned  I  sent  my  second  ball  through 
his  ribs.  He  then  disappeared,  and  stumbled  down  the 
rocky  mountain  side,  with  Boxer  at  his  heels.  I  fol- 
lowed as  fast  as  could  be,  and  found  him  half  way  down 
the  mountain,  sitting  on  his  haunches  at  bay,  whera  I 
finished  him  with  a  shot  in  the  heart.  This  was  a 
magnificent  sable  antelope  in  the  prime  of  life;  he  was 
very  fat,  and  the  flesh  was  excellent. 

On  the  28th  I  rode  through  tlie  hills  in  quest  of  pota- 
quaine,  and  went  over  a  deal  of  rough  ground  on  foot, 
and  saw  spoor,  but  no  potaquaine.  In  the  evening  I 
took  some  bedding  up  the  glen,  and  slept  there. 

I  had  lain  in  great  pain  all  night,  and  in  the  morning 
of  the  29th  I  found  myself  attacked  with  acute  rheu- 


92  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

matic  fever.  I  had  jnst  strength  to  gain  my  wagons, 
when  the  disease  came  on  in  full  force,  swelling  up  all 
the  joints  of  my  body,  and  giving  me  the  most  excrucia- 
ting torture.  I  could  not  move  hand  nor  foot,  nor  turn 
on  my  bed.  I  had  no  medicine  except  salts ;  these  I 
made  use  of,  and  bled  myself,  and  in  about  eight  days 
the  intense  pains  left  me,  but  left  me  so  weak  that  I 
could  not  stand. 

On  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  August  I  determined 
to  leave  the  Bamangwato  country,  and  to  return  to 
Sichely  by  way  of  Massouey,  which  place  I  reached  on 
the  15th.  It  was,  however,  infested  by  natives,  and 
all  the  game  gone.  I  accordingly  trekked  for  Lepeby, 
which  I  reached  the  next  day.  Here  too  the  natives 
had  gathered,  so  I  proceeded  on  to  Soobie,  where  I 
found  the  skull  of  a  very  large  lion,  which  the  natives 
said  had  been  killed  by  another  lion. 

At  night  I  lay  by  the  water  with  Kleinboy ;  abund- 
ance of  game  came  and  drank,  but  it  was  too  dark  to 
shoot  with  any  certainty.  About  midnight  a  lion  and 
a  lioness  came  within  ten  yards  of  us  before  we  noticed 
them.  I  was  lying  half  asleep,  but  detected  Kleinboy 
removing  the  big  rifle  from  my  side :  he  made  a  lucky 
shot;  the  ball  passed  through  the  lion's  heart.  He 
bounded  forward  about  fifty  yards,  and,  groaning  fear- 
fully, died.  Presently  we  heard  the  hyaenas  and  jack- 
als feasting  on  him,  and  before  morn  he  was  consumed. 
After  some  time  the  lioness  reapproached  the  water  to 
seek  her  mate,  and  drew  nearer  and  nearer  to  us,  roar- 
ing most  ffarfully  ;  it  was  truly  enough  to  make  the 
stoutest  heart  quail.  Kleinboy's  quite  failed  him  ;  and 
presently,  hearing  other  lions  approaching  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  fount,  I  certainly  felt  that  we  were 
in  danger,  and  accordingly  agreed  to  light  a  fire,  which 


HUNT    FOR    A    TROOP    OF    LIONS.  93 

was  soon  blazing  cheerfully.  I  continued  to  watch  the 
water  from  my  deadly  lair,  both  by  day  and  night,  till 
the  1st  of  September,  enjoying  extraordinary  sport,  and 
securing  uncommonly  fine  specimens  of  the  heads  of  all 
the  varieties  of  game  frequenting  the  district. 

On  the  1st  of  September,  about  12  o'clock,  jNIollyee 
came  and  told  me  that  my  cattle-herd  had  come  upon 
four  wildebeests  killed  by  a  troop  of  lions.  I  immedi- 
ately sent  for  the  steeds  and  rode  to  the  spot,  with 
Martin  and  the  Bushman  as  after-riders,  and  accom- 
panied by  all  my  dogs.  On  reaching  the  ground,  the 
dogs  immediately  took  up  scent,  and  went  beating  up 
the  wind.  I  rode  after,  hunting  them  on,  and  presently 
I  missed  Boxer  and  Alert.  Wolf  now  beat  up  a  scent 
to  windward,  on  which  he  afterward  went  oft'  at  full 
speed,  and  was  soon  heard  at  bay  with  a  lion.  Just  as 
Wolf  started  I  heard  a  dog  bark  to  leeward,  and,  riding 
hard  in  that  line,  I  found  Lassie  barking  at  a  large 
bush,  in  which  the  lions  had  taken  shelter,  but  were 
gone.  I  was  followed  by  poor  cripple  Argyll,  who 
went  boldly  in  and  took  up  the  scent.  I  lost  sight  of 
Argyll  in  the  bushes.  I  then  turned  m.y  face  as  Wolf 
had  gone,  and  rode  hard  to  seek  him;  at  length  he 
came  up  to  me,  quite  exhausted  with  his  exertions. 

I  rode  back  to  seek  Boxer,  Alert,  and  Argyll.  On 
coming  to  the  place  where  Argyll  had  gone  off,  I  found 
lions'  spoor,  and  the  spoor  of  the  dogs  on  the  top  of  it. 
After  holding  this  spoor  for  a  few  hundred  yards,  I  met 
my  dogs,  who,  returning,  led  me  to  the  game  I  sought 
—  it  was  a  noble  lioness.  As  I  approached  I  first  be- 
held her  great,  round  face  and  black-tipped  ears  peep- 
ing over  the  low  bushes.  On  riding  up  she  obstinately 
kept  her  full  front  to  me,  although  the  dogs  were  bark- 
ing close  around  her  :  at  length  she  exposal  a  raking 


94  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

side  shot,  and  the  ball  smashed  her  shoulder.  She  th^n 
charged  among  the  dogs  without  doing  any  harm.  At 
my  second  shot  Schwartland  was  unsteady  and  spoiled 
my  aim;  the  ball,  however,  passed  through  the  m.iddle 
of  her  foot  from  side  to  side.  I  beckoned  to  Martin  for 
my  Moore,  and,  having  got  it,  rode  up  within  a  few- 
yards  of  the  lioness  and  gave  her  a  shot,  which  crippled 
her  in  her  other  shoulder.  She  then  fell  powerless  on 
the  ground,  and  I  fired  rriy  fourth  shot  for  her  heart : 
on  receiving  it,  she  rolled  over  on  her  side  and  died.  ] 
cut  ofl'  her  head  and  the  ten  nails  of  her  two  fore  feet, 
and  rode  to  camp,  where  I  found  that  the  rascally 
Hottentots,  taking  advantage  of  Martin's  absence,  had 
boned  all  my  rich  game  broth,  replacing  it  with  cold 
water.  It  blew  a  very  stiff  breeze  of  wind  while  I  was 
hunting  the  lions,  which  entirely  prevented  me  from 
hearing  the  dogs  bark.  The  evening  being  very  cold 
and  windy,  I  did  not  watch  the  water.  Lions  roared 
around  our  camp  all  night. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

A  Lion  shot  from  my  Watcbing-hole  at  Midnight — Six  Lions  drink  close 
beside  me — A  Lioness  slain — A  Rhinoceros  bites  the  Dust — Moslafeose 
Fountain — My  Shooting-hole  surrounded  with  Game — Pallah5,,Sas- 
saybies,  Zebras,  &c. — A  Rhooze-Rheebok  shot — Extraordinary  Cir 
cumstance — My  fiftieth  Elephant  bagged — Interesting  Fountains  on 
the  Hills — Leave  my  Wagons  for  the  Hills — Struggle  with  a  Boa 
Constrictor — Lions  too  numerous  to  be  agreeable — Five  Rhinoceroses 
shot  as  they  came  to  drink — A  venomous  Snake. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  3d  of  September  I  watched 
the  fountain.  Toward  sunset  one  blue  wildebeest,  six 
zebras,  and  a  large  herd  of  pallahs  were  all  drinking 


r',\K     MGMT    SHOOTIKG.  95 

leiorc  iric.  I  kty  enjoying  contemplation  for  at  least 
fifteen  minutes,  and,  most  of  them  having  then  slaked 
their  thirst,  I  sent  a  ball  through  the  heart  of  the  best 
headed  pallah.  I  then  took  a  long  shot  at  the  blue 
wildebeest  bull,  and  sent  the  other  ball  into  his  shoul- 
der. I  now  came  to  the  camp,  and  ordered  the  pallah 
to  be  i^aced  in  front  of  my  hole  beside  the  water,  to 
attract  the  lions.  Having  taken  my  coffee,  I  returned 
to  the  water  with  Kleinboy  and  Mollyee.  It  was  bright 
moonlight.  We  had  scarcely  lain  down  when  the  ter- 
rible voice  of  a  lion  was  heard  a  little  to  the  east ;  the 
jackals  were  feasting  over  the  remains  of  the  white 
rhinoceros  of  yesterday,  and  only  one  or  two  occasion- 
ally came  and  snuffed  at  the  pallah.  Presently  a  herd 
of  zebras,  accompanied  by  elands,  approached  the  wa- 
ter, but  were  too  timid  to  come  in  and  drink :  a  troop 
of  wild  dogs  now  came  boldly  up,  and  were  walking 
off  with  the  pallah,  when  I  fired  into  them.  They 
made  off,  but  immediately  returning  and  again  seizing 
my  pallah,  I  fired  again,  and  wounded  one  of  them. 

Soon  after  we  had  lain  down  a  thundering  clattering 
of  hoofs  was  heard  coming  up  the  vley,  and  on  came  an 
immense  herd  of  blue  wildebeest.  They  were  very 
thirsty,  and  the  leading  cow  very  soon  came  boldly  up 
and  drank  before  me.  I  sent  a  ball  through  her ;  she 
ran  sixty  yards  up  the  slope  behind  me,  and  fell  dead. 
Her  comrades  then  thundered  across  the  vley,  and  took 
np  a  position  on  the  opposite  rising  ground.  In  two 
minutes  the  hyaenas  and  jackals  had  attacked  the  car- 
cass of  this  wildebeest.  Soon  after  this  a  lion  gave  a 
most  appalling  roar  on  the  liushy  height  close  opposite 
to  us,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  death-like  stillness 
which  lasted  for  nearly  a  minute.  I  had  then  only  one 
bhot  in  my  four  barrels,  and  I  hastily  loaded  the  c  *^her 


96  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH   AFRICA, 

barrel  of  my  Westley  Richards;  and  with  breathless  at- 
tention kept  the  strictest  watch  in  front,  expecting 
every  moment  to  see  the  mighty  and  terrible  king  of 
beasts  approaching  :  bnt  he  was  too  cunning.  He  saw 
all  the  other  game  faght  shy  of  the  water,  so  he  made  a 
circuit  to  leeward  to  get  the  wind  off  the  fountain. 
Soon  after  he  roared  I  heard  a  num-ber  of  jackajs  both- 
ering him,  as  if  telling  him  to  come  across  the  vley  to 
the  wildebeest :  he  growled  from  side  to  side,  as  if  play 
ing  with  them,  and  after  this  all  was  still. 

I  had  listened  with  intense  anxiety  for  about  fifteen 
minutes  longer,  when  I  heard  the  hyaenas  and  jackals 
give  way  on  either  side  behind  me  from  the  carcass  of 
the  wildebeest,  and,  turning  my  head  slowly  round,  be- 
held a  huge  and  majestic  lion,  with  a  black  mane  which 
nearly  swept  the  ground,  standing  over  the  carcass. 
He  seemed  aware  of  my  proximity,  and,  lowering  his 
head,  at  once  laid  hold  of  the  wildebeest  and  dragged 
it  some  distance  up  the  hill.  He  then  halted  to  take 
breath,  but  did  not  expose  a  broadside,  and  in  a  quar- 
ter of  a  minute  he  again  laid  hold  of  the  wildebeest  and 
dragged  it  about  twelve  yards  further  toward  the  cover, 
when  he  again  raised  his  noble  head  and  halted  to  take 
breath. 

I  had  not  an  instant  to  lose  ;  he  stood  with  his  right 
side  exposed  to  me  in  a  very  slanting  position ;  I  stretch- 
ed my  left  arm  across  the  grass,  and,  taking  him  rath- 
er low,  fired :  the  ball  took  effect,  and  the  lion  sank  to 
the  shot.  All  was  still  as  death  for  many  seconds, 
when  he  uttered  a  deep  growl,  and,  slowly  gaining  his 
feet,  limped  toward  the  gover,  roaring  mournfully  as 
he  went.  When  he  got  into  the  thorny  bushes  he 
stumbled  through  them  as  he  moved  along,  and  in  half 
ft  minute  1  heard  him  hg,lt  and  growl  feavfuHyj  as  if 


A    MAGNIFICENT    LION    SHOT,  97 

dying.  I  had  now  every  reason  to  believe  that  he  was 
either  dead  or  would  die  immediately,  and  if  I  did  not 
seek  him  till  the  morning  I  knew  very  well  that  the 
hysenas  and  jackals. would  destroy  him.  I  according- 
ly went  up  to  camp,  and,  having  saddled  two  horses,  I 
and  Martin  rode  to  seek  him,  taking  all  the  dogs,  led 
in  strings  by  the  natives.  On  reaching  the  carcass  of 
the  wildebeest  we  slipped  the  dogs,  and  they  went  off 
after  the  hysenas  and  jackals :  we  listened  in  vain  for 
the  deep  growl  of  the  lion,  but  I  was  persuaded  that 
he  was  dead,  and  rode  forward  to  the  spot  where  I  had 
last  heard  him  growl.  Lassie,  now  coming  up,  com- 
menced barking  at  a  bush  in  front  of  me,  and,  riding 
round,  I  had  the  immense  satisfaction  to  behold  the 
most  magnificent  old  black-maned  lion  stretched  out 
before  me. 

The  ball  had  entered  his  belly  a  little  before  the 
flank,  and  traversed  the  length  and  breadth  of  his  body, 
crippling  him  in  the  opposite  shoulder.  No  description 
could  give  a  correct  idea  of  the  surpassing  beauty  of 
this  most  majestic  animal,  as  he  lay  still  warm  before 
me.  I  lighted  a  fire  and  gazed  with  delight  upon  his 
lovely  mane,  his  massive  arms,  his  sharp  yellow  nails, 
his  hard  and  terrible  head,  his  immense  and  powerful 
teeth,  his  perfect  beauty  and  symmetry  throughout ; 
and  I  felt  that  I  had  won  the  noblest  prize  that  this 
wide  world  could  yield  to  a  sportsman.  Having  about 
fifteen  natives  with  me,  I  sent  for  rheims  and  the  lech 
ter-uit,  and  we  bore  the  lion  to  camp. 

On  my  way  from. the  water  to  get  the  horses  and 
dogs,  I  shot  an  extremely  old  bull  black  rhinoceros 
with  a  single  ball :  he  dropped  to  the  shot.  His  horns 
were  quite  worn  down  and  amalgamated,  resemfeling 
the. slump  of  an  old  oak-tree. 


98  ADVENTLRES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  4th  I  deepened  my  hole  and 
watched  the  water.  As  the  sun  went  down  two  grace- 
ful springboks  and  a  herd  of  pallah  came  and  drank, 
when  I  shot  the  best  pallah  in  the  troop.  At  night  I 
watched  the  water  with  Kleinboy :  very  soon  a  cow 
black  rhinoceros  came  and  drank,  and  got  off  for  the 
present  with  two  balls  in  hcj".  A  little  afterward  two 
black  rhinoceroses  and  two  white  ones  came  to  the 
water  side.  We  both  fired  together  at  the  finest  of  the 
two  black  rhinoceroses;  she  ran  three  hundred  yards 
and  fell  dead.  Soon  after  this  the  other  black  rhinoc- 
eros came  up  again  and  stood  at  the  water  side ;  I  gave 
her  one  ball  after  the  shoulder ;  she  ran  a  hundred  yards 
and  fell  dead.  In  half  an  hour  a  third  old  borele  ap- 
peared, and,  having  inspected  the  two  dead  ones,  came 
up  to  the  water  side.  We  fired  together;  he  ran  two 
hundred  yards  and  fell  dead.  I  felt  satisfied  with  our 
success,  and  gave  it  up  for  the  night. 

By  the  following  evening  the  natives  had  cleared 
away  the  greater  part  of  two  of  the  rhinoceroses,  which 
lay  right  in  the  way  of  the  game  approaching  the  water ; 
I,  however,  enforced  their  leaving  the  third  rhinoceros, 
which  had  fallen  on  the  bare  rising  ground,  almost  op- 
posite to  my  hiding-place,  in  the  hope  of  attracting  a 
lion,  as  I  intended  to  w-atch  the  water  at  night.  Soon 
after  the  twilight  had  died  away,  I  went  down  to  my 
hole  with  Kleinboy  and  two  natives,  who  lay  concealed 
in  another  hole,  with  Wolf  and  Boxer  ready  to  slip  in 
the  event  of  wounding  a  lion. 

On  reaching  the  water  I  looked  toward  the  carcass 
of  the  rhinoceros,  and,  to  ray  astonishment,  beheld  the 
ground  alive  with  large  creatures,  as  though  a  troop  of 
zebras  were  approaching  the  fountain  to  drink.  Klein- 
boy remarked  to  me  that  a  troop  of  zebras  were  stand- 


A    GRAND    SIGHT.  99 

ing  on  the  height.  I  ans\yered  "Yes;"  but  I  kne\7 
very  well  that  zebras  would  not  be  capering  around  the 
carcass  of  a  rhinoceros.  I  quickly  arranged  my  blank- 
ets, pillow,  and  guns  in  the  hole,  and  then  lay  down  to 
feast  my  eyes  on* the  interesting  sight  before  me.  It 
was  bright  m.oonlight,  as  clear  as  I  need  wish,  and  with- 
in  one  nio;ht  of  beinsf  full  moon.     There  were  six  large 

DO  o 

lions,  about  twelve  or  fifteen  hysenas,  and  from  twenty 
to  thirty  jackals,  feasting  on  and  around  the  carcasses 
of  the  three  rhinoceroses.  The  lions  feasted  peacefully, 
but  the  hyaenas  and  jackals  fought  over  every  mouth- 
ful, and  chased  one  another  round  and  round  the  car- 
casses, growling,  laughing,  screeching,  chattering,  and 
howling  without  any  intermission.  The  hyaenas  did 
not  seem  afraid  of  the  lions,  although  they  always  gavo 
way  before  them ;  for  I  observed  that  they  followed  them. 
in  the  most  disrespectful  manner,  and  stood  laughing, 
one  or  two  on  either  side,  when  any  lions  came  after 
their  comrades  to  examine  pieces  of  skin  or  bones  which 
they  were  dragging  away.  I  had  lain  watching  this 
banquet  for  about  three  hours,  in  the  strong  hope  that, 
when  the  lions  had  feasted,  they  would  come  and  drink. 
Two  black  and  two  white  rhinoceroses  had  made  theii 
appearance,  but,  scared  by  the  smell  of  the  blood,  they 
had  made  off. 

At  length  the  lions  seemed  satisfied.  They  all  walk- 
ed about  with  their  heads  up,  and  seemed  to  be  think- 
ing about  the  water;  and  in  two  minutes  one  of  them 
turned  his  face  toward  me,  and  came  on.  He  was  im- 
mediately followed  by  a  second  lion,  and  in  half  a  min- 
ute by  the  remaining  four.  It  was  a  decided  and  gen- 
eral move ;  they  were  all  coming  to  drink  right  bang  in 
my  face,  within  fifteen  yards  of  me. 

T  charged  the  unfortunate,  pale,  an('     anting  Klein- 


100  ADVENTJuES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

boy  to  convert  himself  into  a  stone,  and  knowing,  from 
old  spoor,  exactly  where  they  would  drink,  I  cocked  my 
left  barrel,  and  .placed  myself  and  gun  in  position.  The 
six  lions  came  steadily  on  along  the  stony  ridge  until 
within  sixty  yards  of  me,  when  they  Jialted  for  a  min- 
ute to  reconnoiter.  One  of  them  stretched  out  his  mas- 
sive arms  on  the  rock  and  lay  down :  the  others  then 
came  on,  and  he  rose  and  brought  up  the  rear.  They 
walked,  as  I  had  anticipated,  to  the  old  drinking-place, 
and  three  of  them  had. put  down  their  heads  and  were 
lapping  the  water  loudly,  when  Kleinboy  thought  it 
necessary  to  shove  up  his  ugly  head.  I  turned  my 
head  slowly  to  rebuke  him,  and,  again  turning  to  the 
lions,  found  myself  discovered. 

An  old  lioness,  who  seemed  to  take  the  lead,  had  de- 
tected me,  and,  with  her  head  high  and  her  eyes  fixed 
full  upon  me,  was  coming  slowly  round  the  corner  of 
the  little  vley  to  cultivate  further  my  acquaintance ! 
This  unfortunate  coincidence  put  a  stop  at  once  to  all 
further  contemplation.  I  thought,  in  my  haste,  that  it 
was  perhaps  most  prudent  to  shoot  this  lioness,  espe- 
cially as  none  of  the  others  had  noticed  me.  I  accord- 
ingly moved  my  arm  and  covered  her:  she  saw  me 
move  and  halted,  exposing  a  full  broadside.  I  fired; 
the  ball  entered  one  shoulder  and  passed  out  behind  the 
other.  She  bounded  forward  with  repeated  growls,  and 
was  followed  by  her  five  comrades,  all  enveloped  in  a 
c'oud  of  dust ;  nor  did  they  stop  until  they  had  reached 
the  cover  behind  me,  except  one  old  gentleman,  who 
halted  and  looked  back  for  a  few  seconds,  when  I  fired, 
but  the  ball  went  high.  I  listened  anxiously  for  some 
sound  to  denote  the  approaching  end  of  the  lioness,  nor 
listened  in  vain.  I  heard  her  growling  and  stationary, 
as  if  dying.     In  one  minute  her  comrades  crossed  tjie 


A    FINE    OLD    BLACK    RHINOCEROS    SHOT.  101 

vley  a  little  below  me,  and  made  toward  the  rhinoceros 
I  then  slipped  Wolf  and  Boxer  on  her  scent,  and,  fol- 
lowing them  into  the  cover,  found  her  lying  dead  with- 
in twenty  yards  of  where  the  old  lion  had  lain  two 
nights  before.  This  was  a  fine  old  lioness,  with  per- 
fect teeth,  and  was  certainly  a  noble  prize ;  but  I  felt 
dissatisfied  at  not  having  rather  shot  a  lion,  which  I 
had  most  certainly  done  if  my  Hottentot  had  not  de- 
stroyed my  contemplation. 

On  the  8th,  as  I  and  Kleinboy  watched  the  under 
water  about  midnight,  we  heard  a  black  rhinoceros  blow- 
ing beside  the  upper  water.  We  very  rashly  walked 
up  within  about  eighteen  yards  of  him,  with  no  other 
shelter  than  a  small  bush.  On  perceiving  us,  the  bo- 
rele  at  once  turned  his  head  to  me  and  advanced  slow- 
ly:  Kleinboy,  who  was  on  my  right  and  had  a  good 
chance,  fortunately  fired  without  orders,  and  the  ball 
entered  the  shoulder  with  a  fine  direction.  Borele  then 
charged  madly  and  furiously  through  trees  and  bushes, 
right  toward  camp,  making  the  most  tremendous  blow- 
ing noise,  and  halting  in  a  stony  open  flat  close  to  the 
wagons:  he  stood,  and  staggered  about  for  a  minute  or 
two,  and  then  fell.  On  coming  up  to  him,  I  found  him 
a  magnificent  specimen,  carrying  three  distinct  horns. 

After  breakfast  on  the  10th,  the  oxen  having  drunk, 
we  inspanned  and  marched  to  Bootlonamy,  which  we 
reached  at  sunset. 

After  a  march  of  three  days,  during  which  the  cattle 
and  horses  nearly  died  of  thirst,  we  reached  Mosela- 
kose,  a  retired  fountain  in  a  bold  glen  or  gorge  in  the 
firs^  .nountain  chain  before  us.  As  we  approached  this 
fine  fountain,  the  poor,  thirsty,  loose  cattle  rushed  ahead 
to  the  water,  not  a  little  gratified  by  the  sight. 

I  found  the  spoor  of  game  abundant  at  the  water ; 


102  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

accordingly,  loutspanned  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
it,  and  at  once  set  about  making  a  hole  from  wliicli  to 
shoot  the  game  as  they  came  up  to  drink. 

After  breakfast  on  the  ICth  I  rode  to  the  water  and 
again  lay  in  my  hole.  There  were  iarge  herds  of  game 
standing  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  me  when  I  lay 
down,  and  soon  after  the  horses  had  disappeared  they 
came  on  from  all  sides  and  completely  surrounded  me. 
It  was  of  no  consequence  that  they  got  my  wind,  and 
frequent  alarms  were  sounded — the  thirsty  game  to 
windward  would  not  heed  the  alarm,  and,  standing 
their  ground  fearlessly,  they  gave  the  others  confidence. 
There  was  standing  within  shot  of  me  at  once  about 
three  hundred  pallahs,  about  twelve  sassaybies,  and 
twenty  zebras.  I  could  only  make  out  two  very  fair 
heads  in  all  that  vast  herd  of  pallahs,  and  these  were 
not  to  be  compared  with  my  best  Soobie  heads  ;  I  there- 
fore amused  myself  by  watching  the  game,  and  did  not 
fire,  having  resolved  to  wait  quietly,  in  the  hope  of  some 
rarer  game  appearing,  such  as  koodoo,  sable  antelope, 
or  wild  boar,  &c.  At  length  I  observed  three  shy, 
strange-looking  antelopes  approach  the  water,  with 
large  bushy  tails,  and  furry-looking  reddish-gray  hair. 
They  were  three  rhooze-rheeboks,  a  buck  and  two  does. 
I  had  never  before  heard  that  either  of  the  rheeboks 
frequented  these  parts ;  being  anxious  to  certify  that 
this  antelope  did  so,  I  shot  the  buck  through  the  heart. 

The  next  day  I  again  rode  to  the  water  and  lay  down, 
with  large  herds  of  pallahs,  Sec,  in  view:  soon  after  the 
horses  were  gone,  they  came  in  and  surrouu  ^ed  me,  the 
same  as  the  day  before.  It  was  a  fine  show  of  game : 
there  were  about  two  hundred  pallahs,  about  fifty  blue 
wildebeests,  thirty  zebras,  and  thirty  sassaybies,  all  at 
once  drinking  and  standing  within  easy  shot  of  me. 


ABUNDANCE    OF    GAME.  103 

After  watching  them  for.  a  short  time,  I  selected  a  fine 
old  cow  bkie  wildebeest,  and  fired,  when  this  vast  body 
of  game  thundered,  panic  stricken,  away  on  every  side. 
As  the  dust  cleared  away  the  gnoo  was  to  be  seen 
standing  alone,  and  in  about  ten  minutes  she  stagger- 
ed, fell,  and  died.  Fifteen  minutes  afterward  two 
herds  of  pallahs  approached  from  different  directions. 
I  was  overhauling  them,  when  up  came  two  tearing 
wild  boars  and  stood  broadside  before  me,  with  their 
long  tails  stuck  right  up.  I  took  the  best  behind  the 
shoulder  :  he  ran  off  with  his  comrade  up  a  very  rocky 
hill  above  the  fountain,  leaving  the  stones  red  in  his 
wake,  and  feeling  himself  unable  to  proceed  further, 
charged  and  staggered  violently  about  the  stones,  and 
at  last  gave  in,  having  broken  both  his  under  teeth  ; 
he  also  squealed  violently  when  the  struggles  of  death 
came  over'him. 

A  singular  circumstance  occurred  as  I  watched  the 
waters  on  the  20th.-  Having  shot  a  sassayby,  he  im- 
mediately commenced  choking  from  the  blood,  and  his 
body  began  to  swell  in  a  most  extraordinary  manner  ; 
it  continued  swelling,  with  the  animal  still  alive,  until 
it  literally  resembled  a  fisherman's  float,  when  the  sas- 
sayby died  of  suffocation.  It  was  not  only  his  body 
that  swelled  in  this  ext*" ^ordinary  manner,  but  even  his 
head  and  legs,  down  to  his  knees. 

The  21st  was  a  bitter  cold  morning,  with  a  strong 
wind  from  the  southwest.  I  rode  to  my  hole  at  the 
fountain  before  the  morning  star  appeared.  Shortly, 
becoming  impatient  of  lying  still,  I  rose  from  my  holo 
to  examine  what  game  ha  1  drunk  during  the  niirht,  and, 
to  my  astonishment,  at  once  discovered  the  spoor  of  a 
mighty  bull  elephant,  which  must  have  drunk  there  not 
many  hours  before.    I  went  in  haste  to  camp,  and,  hav- 


104  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ing  made  all  ready  for  a  three-days'  trip,  took  up  the 
spoor  with  two  after-riders  and  six  natives.  It  led  us 
in  an  easterly  course,  first  through  a  neck  in  the  mount- 
ains, and  then  skirting  them  for  about  five  miles  through 
thick  cover  and  over  hard  adamantine  rocks  and  sharp 
stones.  The  elephant  had  fed  as  he  went  along,  and 
we  soon  came  up  with  him  standing  in  a  thicket. 
When  we  first  caught  sight  of  him  he  was  within 
twenty  yards  of  us,  a  bushy  tree  nearly  concealing  him 
from  our  view.  I  first  observed  one  of  his  tusks,  and 
then  I  had  to  dispatch  Kleinboy  to  catch  the  cowardly 
natives,  who  were  making  off  at  top  speed  with  my 
dogs  on  strings.  The  dogs  fought  well  with  him  :  it 
was  very  rocky  ground,  and  I  gave  him  one  deadly  shot 
before  he  was  aware  of  our  presence.  I  then  hunted 
him  into  softer  ground,  and  slew  him  with  the  tenth 
shot. 

This  fellow  made  up  my  fiftieth  elephant  bagged  in 
Africa,  not  to  mention  numbers  lost. 

On  our  way  to  camp,  while  following  an  old  estab- 
lished elephant  and  rhinoceros  foot-path,  I  observed  a 
gray  mass  beneath  a  bush,  with  something  which  look- 
ed like  a  shining  black  horn  stuck  out  on  one  side  :  it 
was  within  about  eight  yards  of  our  path.  When  I 
got  alongside  of  it  I  saw  that  x""  was  a  princely  old  bull 
bufialo,  with  a  very  remarkably  fine  head.  He  had 
lain  his  head  flat  on  the  ground,  and  was  crouching,  in 
the  hope  that  we  should  ride  past  without  observing 
him,  just  as  an  old  stag  or  a  roebuck  does  in  Scotland. 
I  gave  the  dogs  the  signal  of  the  presence  of  game, 
when,  as  dogs  invariably  will  do,  they  dashed  off"  in  the 
wrong  direction.  The  buffalo  sprang  to  his  feet,  and 
in  one  instant  he  was  lost  in  the  thicket. 

From  the  quantit\-  of  buflalo's  spoor  on  the  north 


RHOOZE-RHEEBOKS.  105 

gule  of  this  mountain  range,  I  made  up  my  mind  that 
there  must  be  some  strong  water  on  that  side  of  the 
hills,  as  only  one  or  two  buffaloes  occasionally  came  to 
drink  at  the  fountain  where  I  was  encamped  ;  the  na- 
tives all  declared  that  there  was  none.  I,  however,  on 
the  22d,  determined  to  ride  thither  to  explore,  and  ac- 
cordingly started  with  Kleinboy  and  the  Bushman. 
We  held  first  about  west,  and  then  crossed  the  mount- 
ains by  a  succession  of  very  rocky  valleys  and  ravines. 
When  we  had  gained  the  highest  part  of  the  rock,  which 
opened -to  us  the  forests  of  the  north,  a  troop  of  seven 
doe  koodoos  and  three  rhooze-rheeboks  started  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  ravine.  The  dogs,  observing  the 
koodoos,  gave  immediate  chase  ;  and  after  a  very  fine 
and  bold  course,  they  brought  one  to  bay  far  in  the  val- 
ley below,  which  Kleinboy  shot. 

I  had,  in  the  mean  time,  ridden  ahead,  following  an 
old-established  game  foot-path,  and  after  proceeding 
two  or  three  miles  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  discover  a 
beautiful  fountain  in  a  deep  rocky  ravine  on  the  north 
side  of  the  mountains.  Here  was  fresh  spoor  of  black 
and  white-  rhinoceros,  buffalo,  wildebeest,  sassayby, 
koodoo,  klip-springer,  &c.  A  little  after  this  I  was  met 
by  my  after-riders,  who  had  likewise  discovered  a  ra- 
vine containing  water  a  little  to  the  east.  There  they 
had  started  two  bull  buffaloes,  three  buck  koodoos,  and 
a  troop  of  rheebok.  I  then  rode  to  inspect  this  water, 
and  took  up  the  spoor  of  the  buffaloes,  in  the  hope  of 
bringing  them  to  bay  with  the  dogs  I  held  up  the  hol- 
low on  their  spoor,  and  presently  observed  one  of  them 
standing  among  some  trees  to  my  le''t.  The  dogs  were 
snuffing  about  close  under  his  nose  ;  nevertheless,  they 
failed  to  observe  him,  but  set  off'  at  top  speed  on  some 
other  scent ;  nor  did  ihey  return  for  about  ten  minutes. 
E2 


106  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

The  buffalo  did  not  seem  startled  by  the  iogs,  but 
walked  slowly  over  the  rocky  ridge.  I  was  following 
briskly  after  him,  when . I  observed  his  comrade  lying 
right  in  our  path  ;  we  squatted  instantly,  but  he  got 
our  wind  and  was  off.  I  followed,  and  got  a  shot  across 
the  ravine,  wounding  him  behind  the  shoulder.  When 
the  dogs  came  up  I  tried  to  put  them  on  this  spoor,  but 
they  dashed  up  the  ravine  and  started  three  other  buf- 
faloes, which  they  failed  in  bringing  to  bay,  nor  did  I 
again  see  the  dogs  till  I  had  been  two  hours  in  camp. 
I  nearly  killed  myself  by  running  after  them,  for  I  was 
on  foot,  the  ground  being  too  bad  for  the  horses. 

On  teaching  the  steeds  I  rode  hard  for  camp,  as  the 
day  was  far  spent.  Passing  the  mouth  of  another  bold 
ravine,  we  crossed  very  well-beaten  paths,  which  led  me 
to  suspect  that  this  ravine  also  contained  a  fountain. 
We  had  ridden  about  half  way  to  camp  when  a  fine  old 
bull  eland  came  charging  up  to  leeward,  having  got  our 
wind.  I  sprang  from  the  back  of  Mazeppa,  and  gave 
him  both  barrels  as  he  passed  me.  We  then  gave  him 
chase  through  very  thick  cover,  and  after  a  sharp  burst 
of  about  a  mile  I  shot  him  from  the  saddle  :  he  carried 
a  very  fine  head,  and  was,  notwithstanding  the  late- 
ness of  the  season,  in  very  good  condition. 

On  the  23d,  in  the  forenoon,  I  rode  to  explore  the 
suspected  ravine  of  the  day  before,  and,  having  crossed 
the  mountain  chain,  came  upon  the  fresh  spoor  of  a 
very  large  troop  of  cow  elephants  leading  toward  tha 
spot.  I  at  once  determined  to  follow  it,  and  dispatched 
the  Bushman  to  camp  for  the  dogs  and  Kleinboy's  gun, 
&c.  I  rode  slowly  ahead  on  the  spoor,  imagining  the 
elephants  at  a  great  distance,  when,  on  gaining  a  ridge, 
I  came  full  upon  the  troop,  drawn  up  within  twenty- 
five  yards  of  me.     There  were  perhaps  from  twenty- 


AN    ELEPHANT    CHASE.  107 

five  to  thirty  of  them.  The  instant  I  came  upon  them 
they  got  my  wind,  and,  rumbling,  away  they  went  in 
three  divisions  into  the  impenetrable  cover. 

The  ground  that  I  had  now  reached  was  one  solid 
mass  of  sharp  adamantine  blocks  of  rock,  so  that  a 
horse  could  with  difhculty  walk  on  it.  I  held  along 
the  ridge  above  the  cover,  and  in  half  a  minute  I 
heard  one  division  of  the  elephants  crashing  tlirough 
the  cover  after  me.  They  came  on  a  little  above  me, 
and  another  troop  held  the  same  course  a  little  before 
me,  so  that  I  had  considerable  difficulty  in  getting  clear 
of  them,  and  when  I  did  I  held  for  the  level  ground  be- 
neath the  dense  cover.  Here  I  fell  in  with  one  ele- 
phant with  a  calf:  she  had  only  one  tooth.  I  gave  her 
a  shot  after  the  shoulder  ;  and  next  minute,  while  try- 
ing to  head  her  in  the  dense  cover,  she  very  nearly  ran 
me  down  in  her  charge.  I,  of  course,  lost  her  imme- 
diately, being  without  dogs. 

I  then  gave  up  the  elephants  in  vexation  with  the 
ground,  and  rode  to  explore  the  ravine.  My  wounded 
elephant,  however,  happened  to  take  the  same  course 
above  me  in  the  cover,  and  I  once  more  fell  in  with  her. 
She  was  going  slowly  along  the  hill  sides,  keeping  in 
the  thickest  cover,  with  a  rocky  ground,  where  my 
horse  would  be  of  no  service  to  me.  I  might  now  have 
got  her,  but  as  she  had  only  one  tooth  I  was  not  anx- 
ious about  her,  so  I  held  up  the  bold  A  vine. 

Here,  as  I  expected,  I  found  a  strong  fountain  in  a 
solid  rocky  basin  not  more  than  ten  feet  wide :  it  was 
a  very  interesting  spot,  approachable  by  three  different 
rugged  passes,  the  sides  of  wliich  were  furrowed  by 
broad  foot-paths  established  there  through  ages.  The 
large  stones  and  masses  of  rock  were  either  kicked  to 
the  side  or  packed  into  a  level  "like  a  pavement;''  even 


108  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

the  solid  adamantine  rock  was  worn  hollow  by  the  feet 
of  the  mighty  game  which  most  probably  for  a  thou- 
sand years  had  passed  over  it.  Here  I  found  fresh 
spoor  of  most  of  the  larger  game,  and,  resolving  to  play 
havoc  by  light  of  the  coming  moon,  I  left  the  glen  and 
rode  for  camp. 

On  the  25th,  after  breakfast,  I  started  with  bedding 
and  provisions  to  hunt  for  a  few  days  on  the  other  side 
of  the  hills.  We  visited  the  first  water,  and  established 
a  place  of  concealment  with  rocks  and  green  boughs  on 
the  rock.  While  we  were  making  this  bothy  a  wild 
boar  hove  in  view,  but,  observing  us,  he  escaped.  We 
then  held  on  to  the  further  ravine,  and  on  my  way 
thither  I  nearly  rode  down  a  fine  old  bastard  gemsbok, 
which  got  away  among  the  rocks.  I  repaired  an  old 
hiding-hole  at  this  water,  building  it  up  with  fragments 
of  rock.  I  then  sent  the  steeds  to  a  proper  distance, 
put  out  my  fire,  and  lay  down  to  watch  for  the  night. 

First  came  a  pallah,  closely  followed  by  a  wild  dog. 
The  pallah  escaped  ;  the  wild  dog  presently  returned, 
and,  observing  my  retreating  men,  barked  loudly;  ten 
minutes  after,  about  eight  wild  dogs  came  up  the  glen 
and  drank.  Night  now  set  in,  and  the  moonlight  very 
faint.  Presently  an  occasional  loud  displacement  of 
rock  and  stone  announced  the  approach  of  large  game: 
it  was  two  old  bull  buffaloes;  they  came  and  drank, 
and  went  away  without  approaching  within  shot.  Soon 
after,  fourteen  buffaloes  came ;  but  before  these  had  fin- 
ished drinking,  they  got  an  alarm,  and  charged  panic- 
stricken  up  the  rugged  mountain  side.  They  had  wind- 
ed two  lions,  which  came  up  to  the  fountain  head,  and 
drank  within  eighteen  yards  of  me,  where  they  lay  lap- 
ping loudly,  and  occasionally  halting  for  four  or  five  min- 
utes, but,  from  their  light  color  and  the  masses  of  rock 


GLORIOUS  BUFFALO  SHOOTING.  109 

that  surrounded  them,  I  could  not  see  to  fire.  About 
ten  minutes  after  they  had  drunk  I  fancied  that  they 
were  still  lingering,  and  on  throwing  a  stone  their  step 
was  heard  retreating  among  the  dry  leaves  and  stones. 

Soon  after  this  six  old  bull  buffaloes  approached  from 
a  glen  behind  us :  they  walked  very  slowly,  standing 
long  to  listen.  When  the  leader  came  up  to  within 
twenty  yards  of  us,  Kleinboy  and  I  fired  together  ;  it 
ran  thirty  yards,  and  in  two  minutes  fell.  His  com- 
rades, after  considering  the  matter  for  five  minutes, 
came  on  once  more  :  we  again  took  the  leader,  and  he 
also  dropped.  His  comrades,  as  before,  retreated,  but, 
soon  returning,  we  wounded  a  third,  which  we  did  not 
get.  The  moon  was  now  under,  and  it  was  very  dark ; 
the  buffaloes,  however,  were  determined  to  try  it  on 
once  more,  and  coming  up  a  fourth  and  last  time,  we 
shot  another  old  bull.  In  about  ten  minutes  lions  were 
very  busy  on  the  carcass  of  the  first  buffalo,  where  they 
feasted  till  morning,  taking  another  drink  before  they 
went  away.  Toward  daybreak  we  wounded  a  white 
rhinoceros,  and  soon  after  two  black  rhinoceroses  fought 
beside  us,  but  I  was  too  sleepy  to  rise. 

On  the  26th  I  rose  at  earliest  dawn  to  inspect  the 
heads  of  the  three  old  buffaloes ;  they  were  all  enor- 
mous old  bulls,  and  one  of  them  carried  a  most  splendid 
head.  The  lions  had  cleaned  out  all  his  entrails  :  their 
spoor  was  immense.  Having  taken  some  buffalo  breast 
and  liver  for  breakfast,  I  dispatched  Ruyter  to  the  wag- 
ons to  call  the  natives  to  remove  the  carcasses,  while  I 
and  Kleinboy  held  through  the  hills  to  see  what  game 
might  be  in  the  next  glen  which  contained  water.  On 
our  way  thither  we  started  a  fine  old  buck  koodoo, 
which  I  shot,  putting  both  barrels  into  him  at  one 
hundred  yards.     As  I  was  examining  the  spoor  of  tho 


110  ADVENTUR\:S    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

game  by  the  fountain,  I  suddenly  detected  an  enormous 
old  rock-snake  stealing  in  beneath  a  mass  of  rock  be- 
side me.  He  was  truly  an  enormous  snake,  and,  hav- 
ing never  before  dealt  with  this  species  of  game,  I  did 
not  exactly  know  liow  to  set  about  capturing  him. 
Being  very  anxious  to  preserve  his  skin  entire,  and  not 
wishing  to  have  recourse  to  my  rifle,  I  cut  a  stout  and 
tough  stick  about  eight  feet  long,  and  having  lightened 
myself  of  my  shooting-belt,  I  commenced  the  attack. 
Seizing  liim  by  the  tail,  I  tried  to  get  him  out  of  his 
place  of  refuge  ;  but  I  hauled  in  vain;  he  only  drew 
his  large  folds  firmer  together ;  I  could  not  move  him. 
At  length  I  got  a  rheim  round  one  of  his  folds  about  the 
middle  of  his  body,  and  Kleinboy  and  I  commenced  haul- 
ing away  in  good  earnest. 

The  snake,  finding  the  ground  too  hot  for  him,  re- 
laxed his  coils,  and,  suddenly  bringing  round  his  head 
to  the  front,  he  sprang  out  at  us  like  an  arrow,  with  his 
immense  and  hideous  mouth  opened  to  its  largest  di- 
mensions, and  before  I  could  get  out  of  his  way  he  was 
clean  out  of  his  hole,  and  made  a  second  spring,  throw- 
ing himself  forward  about  eight  or  ten  feet,  and  snap- 
ping his  horrid  fangs  within  a  foot  of  my  naked  legs. 
I  sprang  out  of  his  way,  and,  getting  a  hold  of  the  green 
bough  I  had  cut,  returned  to  the  charge.  The  snake 
now  glided  along  at  top  speed :  he  knew  the  ground 
well,  and  was  making  for  a  mass  of  broken  rocks,  where 
he  would  have  been  beyond  my  reach,  but  before  he 
could  gain  this  place  of  refuge  I  caught  him  two  or 
three  tremendous  whacks  on  the  head.  He,  however, 
held  on,  and  gained  a  pool  of  muddy  water,  which  he 
was  rapidly  crossing,  when  I  again  belabored  him,  and 
at  length  reduced  his  pace  to  a  stand.  We  then  hang- 
ed him  by  the  neck  to  a  bough  of  a  tree,  and  in  about 


RHINOCEROS    SHOOTING.  Ill 

fifteen  minutes  he  seemed  dead,  but  he  again  became 
very  troublesome  during  the  operation  of  skinning, 
twisting  his  body  in  all  manner  of  ways.  This  serpent 
measured  fourteen  feet. 

A.t  night  no  game  visited  the  water,  being  scared  by 
the  strong  smell  of  the  carrion.  Lions,  however,  were  • 
so  numerous  that  we  deemed  it  safe  to  shift  a  position 
we  had  taken  down  the  glen,  for  they  trotted  past  with- 
in twenty  yards  of  us,  growling  fearfully.  We  fired 
off  the  big  gun  to  scare  them  for  the  moment  while 
we  shifted  to  our  baggage  at  the  fountain  head,  where 
we  instantly  lighted  a  large  fire.  The  lions,  for  a  short 
time  after  this,  kept  quiet,  when  they  again  returned, 
and  the  fire  being  low,  they  soon  commenced  upon  the 
buffalo  the  natives  had  left  within  fifty  yards  of  us,  and 
before  morning  two  of  them  came  up  and  looked  into 
our  bothy,  when  Boxer  giving  a  sharp  bark,  and  I  sud- 
denly awaking  and  popping  up  my  head,  they  bound- 
ed off. 

In  the  evening  of  the  28th  I  shot  an  old  bull  koo- 
doo. At  night  I  watched  the  water  near  my  camp 
with  Kleinboy.  After  a  long  time  had  elapsed,  an 
enormous  old  bull  muchocho  or  white  rhinoceros  came 
slowly  on,  and  commenced  drinking  within  fifteen  yards 
of  us,  and  next  minute  a  large  herd  of  zebras  and  blue 
wildebeest.  It  was  long  before  the  muchocho  would 
turn  his  side  ;  when  he  did,  we  fired  together,  and 
away  he  went  with  zebras  and  wildebeests  concealed 
in  a  cloud  of  dus^  Next  came  an  old  bull  borele ;  we 
fired  together,  and  he  made  off,  blowing  loudly,  after 
charging  round  and  round,  seeking  some  object  on  which 
to  wreak  his  vengeance.  Next  came  another  borele, 
and  he  got  two  bullets  into  his  person.  The  fourth  that 
came  was  another  old  bull  muchocho ;  he  ran  forty 


112  ADVENTURES    IN   SOUTH    AFRICA. 

yards  and  fell.  And  fifth  came  a  cow  borele  ;  she  fell 
dead  to  the  shots.  Three  other  rhinoceroses  came  about 
me,  but  I  was  too  drowsy  to  watch  any  longer,  and  fell 
asleep. 

These  fountains  afFord,ed  me  excellent  shooting  for 
about  a  fortnight  longer,  during  the  whole  of  which 
time  I  watched  nightly  in  my  different  hiding-holes, 
and  bagged  buffaloes,  rhinoceroses,  koodoos,  zebras,  and 
other  game.  One  night,  while  so  engaged,  a  horrid 
snake  which  Kleinboy  had  tried  to  kill  with  his  load- 
ing-rod flew  up  at  my  eye,  and  spat  poison  into  it.  Im- 
mediately I  washed  it  well  out  at  the  fountain.  I  en- 
dured great  pain  all  night,  but  next  day  the  eye  cam.e 
all  right. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Sichely's  Kraal  again  —  The  Ngotwani  —  The  loose  Cattle  are  lost  — 
Clmse  and  kill  a  Water-buck — A  Portion  of  the  Cattle  recovered — A 
Leopard  bayed  by  my  Dogs  and  slain — Buftalo-shooting  beside  the 
Ngotwani — A  Lion  feeds  on  the  Carcass — My  Horse  knocked  down 
by  the  King  of  Biiites — Meet  a  grim  Lion  Face  to  Face  at  Midnight! 
— He  sheere  off — These  Animals  unpleasantly  bold  —  An  amusing 
Chase  with  a  Buffalo — Literestiug  Stalk  in  rocky  Ground — Leave  my 
Hunting-ground  and  encamp  on  the  Vaal  River — Great  Herds — In 
taking  the  Drift  a  Wagon  sticks  fast  in  the  Middle  of  the  River — Great 
Fear  of  losing  all  my  Property — Rescue  of  the  Wagon — Colesberg — 
A  Farmer's  Wagon  capsized  in  the  Fish  River — Visit  Strydom's  Farm 
and  find  it  Desolate — Arrival  at  GrahamstowB. 

On  the  16th  of  October  we  inspanned,  and  trekked 
steadily  on  for  Sichely  under  a  most  terrific  sun,  and 
halted  at  sundown  without  water  :  the  country  was 
covered  with  spoor  of  all  the  larger  varieties  of  game, 
including  elephants. 


CHASE    A     WATER-BUCK.  113 

On  the  17th  I  inspanned,  and  trekked  a  couple  of 
miles,  when  I  found  myself  once  more  on  the  banks  of 
the  Ngotwani,  which,  except  at  its  source,  was  this 
year  generally  dried  up ;  we,  however,  found  a  spot  in 
its  gravelly  bed  where,  by  digging,  we  obtained  suffi- 
cient water  for  all.  The  natives  in  charge  of  the  loose 
cattle  chose  to  remain  behind  all  night,  I  having  too 
well  supplied  them  with  flesh.  Though  my  remaining 
stud  of  six  horses  and  twelve  trek-oxen  were  thus  ab- 
sent all  night,  I  was  not  anxious  about  them,  trusting 
to  the  usual  good  herding  of  the  natives.  When,  how- 
ever, they  came  up  after  breakfast,  they  were  minus 
all  the  loose  oxen,  without  being  able  to  give  any  ac- 
count of  them,  further  than  that  they  imagined  that 
they  were  with  us :  I  accordingly  dispatched  tv/o  of 
my  men  on  horseback  to  take  up  their  spoor. 

On  the  18th  I  arose  before  it  was  clear,  and  rode  up 
the  banks  of  the  river  with  my  dogs  to  seek  for  water- 
buck,  and  presently  arrived  where  another  considerable 
river's  bed  joins  the  Ngotwani.  Near  this  spot  I  came 
upon  an  old  water-buck,  the  first  I  had  ever  seen.  He 
was  standing  among  some  young  thorn-trees,  within 
sixty  yards,  and  had  his  eye  full  upon  me.  Before  I 
could  pull  up  my  horse  he  was  off  at  a  rapid  pace,  and 
crossed  the  river's  bed  above  me.  I  shouted  to  the  dogs, 
and  fired  a  shot  to  encourage  them  ;  they  had  a  pretty 
fair  start,  and  in  half  a  minute  the  buck  disappeared 
over  a  rocky  ridge,  with  three  or  four  of  my  best  dogs 
within  thirty  yards  of  his  stern.  I  knew  that  he  would 
make  fur  the  nearest  water;  accordingly,  I  kept  my 
eye  down  the  river,  and  listened  with  an  attentive  car 
f  )r  the  baying  of  the  dogs.  Presently  the  noble  buck 
appeared  ascending  a  rocky  pyramidal  hill  down  the 
river  side,  with  the  agility  of  a  chamois,  and  only  one 


114  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

dog,  Boxer,  my  best,  at  his  heels.  I  then  galloped 
do^yn  the  river  side  at  top  speed  to  meet  him,  but  was 
too  late  :  I,  however,  fired  a  long  shot  to  eneourage 
Boxer.  Next  moment,  in  ascending  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  Ngotwani,  my  horse  fell  and  rolled  down  the  bank 
very  nearly  on  the  top  of  me  One  of  the  barrels  of  my 
favorite  ball  gun  was  thereby  stove,  by  coming  in  vio- 
lent contact  with  a  piece  of  rock.  Jock,  on  gaining  his 
legs,  declined  being  caught,  and  made  off  for  camp,  fol- 
lowed by  my  after-rider  :  Alert  at  this  moment  came 
up  to  me,  having  eight  or  ten  inches  of  the  skin  of  his 
breast  and  fore-arm  ripped  clean  up  by  the  water-buck. 
I  now  fancied  that  I  had  lost  him,  but  a  little  after  I 
heard  Boxer's  voice  coming  down  the  river  side  with 
the  buck,  having  once  more  turned  him.  I  ran  up  the 
bank  of  the  Ngotwani  at  my  best  pace  to  meet  them, 
and  found  the  water-buck  at  bay  in  a  deep  pool  of  wa- 
ter, surrounded  by  high  banks  of  granite  rock.  He 
would  not  stand  at  bay,  but  swam  through  the  deep 
water  and  broke  bay  on  the  opposite  side.  Boxer,  how- 
ever, held  on,  and  followed  him  up  the  river,  and  once 
more  turned  him  to  this  pool.  I  met  them  coming 
down  the  water-course,  and  sent  a  ball  into  the  buck's 
throat,  which  made  blood  flow  freely  from  his  mouth. 
He  held  stoutly  on,  however,  and  plunged  into  the  deep 
pool,  ther-e  standing  at  bay  under  a  granite  rock.  I 
then  headed  him,  and  from  above  put  a  bullet  between 
his  two  shoulder  blades,  which  dropped  him  dead  on 
the  spot.  He  died  as  a  water-buck  ought,  in  the  deep 
water.  My  success  with  this  noble  and  very  beautiful 
antelope  gave  me  most  sincere  pleasure. 

I  had  now  shot  noble  specimens  of  every  sort  of  game 
in  South  Africa,  excepting  a  few  small  bucks  common 
in  the  colony,  and  tho  hippopotamus.    Having  contem- 


CHASE    A    LEOPARD.  115 

plated  the  water-buck  for  some  time,  I  cut  off  his  hand- 
some head,  which  I  boi3  to  camp  in  triumph.  The 
next  day  I  succeeded  in  bringing  down  another  fine 
water-buck  after  a  hot  chase. 

On  the  19th  Kleinboy  returned  without  the  lost  oxen : 
the  natives  said  that  they  had  been  found  by  Bakala- 
hari,  and  were  driven  to  Sichely.  Next  day  the  half  of 
them  were  sent  by  the  chief,  with  a  message  that  no 
more  had  been  found,  but  that  spoor  had  been  seen. 

On  the  morning  of  the  22d  I  rode  into  camp,  after 
unsuccessfully  following  the  spoor  of  a  herd  of  ele- 
phants for  two  days  in  a  westerly  course.  Having  par- 
taken of  some  refreshment,  I  saddled  up  two  steeds  and 
rode  down  the  bank  of  Ngotwani  with  the  Bushman, 
to  seek  for  any  game  I  might  find.  After  riding  about 
a  mile  along  the  river's  green  banlc,  I  came  suddenly 
upon  an  old  male  leopard,  lying  under  the  shade  of  a 
thorn  grove,  and  panting  from  the  great  heat.  Al- 
though I  was  within  sixty  yards  of  him,  he  had  not 
heard  the  horses'  tread.  I  thought  he  was  a  lioness, 
and,  dismonnting,  took  a  rest  in  my  saddle  on  the  Old 
Gra}^,  and  sent  a  bullet  into  him.  He  sprang  to  his 
feet,  and  ran  half  way  down  the  river's  bank,  and  stood 
to  look  about  him,  when  I  sent  a  second  bullet  into  his 
person,  and  he  disappeared  over  the  bank.  The  ground 
being  very  dangerous,  I  did  not  disturb  him  by  follow- 
ing then,  but  I  at  once  sent  Ruyter  back  to  camp  for 
the  dogs.  Presently  he  returned  with  Wolf  and  Boxer, 
very  much  done  up  with  the  sun.  I  rode  forward,  and 
on  looking  over  tiie  bank  the  leopard  started  up  and 
sneaked  off  alongside  of  the  tall  reeds,  and  was  instant- 
ly out  of  sight.  I  fired  a  random  sliot  from  the  saddle 
to  encourage  the  dogs,  and  shouted  to  tiiem  ;  they, 
however,  stood  looking  stupidly  round,  and  would  not 


116  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

take  up  his  scent  at  all.  I  led  them  over  his  spoor  again 
and  again,  but  to  no  purpose  ;  the  dogs  seemed  quite 
stupid,  and  yet  they  were  Wolf  and  Boxer,  my  two  best. 

At  length  I  gave  it  up  as  a  lost  affair,  and  was  riding 
down  the  river's  bank,  when  I  heard  Wolf  give  tongue 
behind  me,  and,  galloping  back,  found  him  at  bay  with 
the  leopard,  immediately  beneath  where  I  had  fired  at 
him :  he  Vv-as  very  severely  wounded,  and  had  slipped 
down  into  the  river's  bed  and  doubled  back,  whereby 
he  had  thrown  out  both  the  dogs  and  myself.  As  I 
approached  he  flew  out  upon  Wolf  and  knocked  him 
over,  and  then,  running  up  the  bed  of  the  river,  took 
shelter  in  a  thick  bush:  Wolf,  however,  followed  him, 
and  at  this  moment  my  other  dogs  came  up,  having 
heard  the  shot,  and  bayed  him  fiercely.  He  sprang  out 
upon  them,  and  then  crossed  the  river's  bed,  taking 
shelter  beneath  some  large  tangled  roots  on  the  opposite 
bank.  As  he  crossed  the  river  I  put  a  third  bullet  into 
him,  firing  from  the  saddle,  and  as  soon  as  he  came  to 
bay,  I  gave  him  a  fourth,  which  finished  him.  This 
leopard  was  a  very  fine  old  male:  in  the  conflict  the 
unfortunate  Alert  was  wounded,  as  usual,  getting  his 
face  torn  open ;  he  was  still  going  on  three  legs,  with 
all  his  breast  laid  bare  by  the  first  water-buck. 

In  the  evening  I  directed  my  Hottentots  to  watch  a 
fine  pool  in  the  river,  and  do  their  best  while  I  rode  to 
a  distant  pool  several  miles  up  the  Ngotwani,  reported 
as  very  good  for  game,  to  lie  all  night  and  watch  :  my 
Totties,  however,  fearing  "  Tao,"  disobeyed  me.  On 
reaching  the  water  I  was  bound  for,  J  found  it  very 
promising,  and,  having  fastened  my  two  horses  to  a 
tree  beneath  the  river's  bank,  I  prepared  a  place  of  con- 
cealment close  by,  and  lay  down  for  the  night. 

The  river's  banks  on  each  side  were  clad  with  groves 


GLORIOUS  OUFFALO  SHOOTING.  117 

of  shady  thorn-trees.  After  I  had  lain  some  time, 
squadrons  of  buffaloes  were  heard  coming  on,  until  the 
shady  grove  on  the  east  bank  of  the  water  immediately 
above  me  was  alive  with  them.  After  some  time  the 
leaders  ventured  down  the  river's  bank  to  drink,  and  this 
was  the  signal  for  a  general  rush  into  the  large  pool  of 
water:  they  came  on  like  a  regiment  of  cavalry  at  a 
gallop,  making  a  mighty  din,  and  obscuring  the  air  with 
a  dense  cloud  of  dust.  At  length  I  sent  a  ball  into 
one  of  them,  when  the  most  tremendous  rush  followed 
up  the  bank,  where  they  all  stood  still,  listening  atten- 
tively. I  knew  that  the  buffalo  was  severely  wounded, 
but  did  not  hear  him  fall.  Some  time  after  I  fired  at  a 
second,  as  they  stood  on  the  bank  above  me  ;  this  buffa- 
lo was  also  hard  hit,  but  did  not  then  fall.  A  little  after 
I  fired  at  a  third  on  the  same  spot ;  he  ran  forty  yards, 
and,  falling,  groaned  fearfully :  this  at  once  brought  on 
a  number  of  the  others  to  butt  their  dying  comrade, 
according  to  their  benevolent  custom.  I  then  crept  in 
toward  them,  and,  firing  my  fourth  shot,  a  second  buf- 
falo ran  forward  a  few  yards,  and,  falling,  groaned  as  the 
last ;  her  comrades,  coming  up,  served  her  in  the  same 
manner.  A  second  time  I  crept  in,  and,  firing  a  fifth 
shot,  a  third  buffalo  ran  forward,  and  fell  close  to  her 
dying  comrades:  in  a  few  minutes  all  the  other  buffa- 
loes made  off,  and  the  sound  of  teeth  tearing  at  the 
flesh  was  heard  immediately. 

I  fancied  it  was  the  liyaenas,  and  fired  a  shot  to  scare 
them  from  the  flesh.  A.11  was  still ;  and,  being  anxious 
to  inspect  the  heads  of  the  buffaloes,  I  went  boldly 
forward,  taking  the  native  who  accompanied  me  along 
with  me.  We  were  within  about  five  yards  of  the 
nearest  buffalo,  when  I  observed  a  yellow  mass  lying 
alongside  of  him,  and  at  the  same  instant  a  Wnu  gave 


118  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

a  deep  growl.  I  thought  it  was  all  over  with  me.  The 
native  «houted  "  Tao,"  and,  springing  away,  instantly 
commenced  blowing  shrilly  through  a  charmed  piece 
of  bone  which  he  wore  on  his  necklace.  I  retreated  to 
the  native,  and  we  then  knelt  down.  The  lion  con- 
tinued his  meal,  tearing  away  at  the  buffalo,  and  growl- 
ing at  his  wife  and  family,  who,  I  found  next  day  by 
the  spoor,  had  accompanied  him.  Knowing  that  he 
would  not  molest  me  if  I  left  him  alone,  I  proposed  to 
the  native  to  go  to  our  hole  and  lie  down,  but  he  would 
not  hear  of  it,  and  entreated  me  to  fire  at  the  lion.  I  fired 
three  different  shots  where  I  thought  I  saw  him,  but 
without  any  effect ;  he  would  not  so  much  as  for  a  mo- 
ment cease  munching  my  buffalo.  I  then  proceeded  to 
lie  down,  and  was  soon  asle  p,  the  native  keeping  watch 
over  our  destinies.  Some  time  after  midnight  other 
lions  were  heard  coming  on  from  other  airts,  and  my 
old  friend  commenced  roaring  so  loudly  that  the  native 
thought  it  proper  to  wake  me. 

The  first  old  lion  now  wanted  to  drink,  and  held  right 
away  for  the  two  unfortunate  steeds,  roaring  terribly. 
I  felt  rather  alarmed  for  their  safety;  but,  trusting 
that  the  lion  had  had  flesh  enough  for  one  night,  I  lay 
still,  and  listened  with  an  attentive  ear.  In  a  few 
minutes,  to  my  utter  horror,  I  heard  him  spring  upon 
one  of  the  steeds  with  an  angry  growl,  and  dash  him  to 
the  earth ;  the  steed  gave  a  slight  groan,  and  all  was 
still.  I  listened  to  hear  the  sound  of  teeth,  but  all  con- 
tinued still.  Soon  after  this  "  Tao"  was  once  more  to 
bo  heard  munching  the  buffalo.  In  a  few  minutes  he 
came  forward,  and  stood  on  the  bank  close  above  us, 
and  roared  most  te.  ribly,  walking  up  and  down,  as  if 
meditating  some  mischief.  I  now  thought  it  high  time 
to  nialve  a  fire,  nnd.  quickly  collecting  some  dry  reeds 


GET    CONSIDERABLY    SCARED.  '     119 

and  little  sticks,  in  half  a  minute  we  had  a  cheerful 
blaze.  The  lion,  which  had  not  yet  got  our  wind,  canie 
forward  at  once  to  find  out  what  the  dense  was  up ; 
but,  not  seeing  to  his  entire  satisfaction  from  the  top 
of  the  bank,  he  was  proceeding  to  descend  by  a  game- 
path  into  the  river-bed  within  a  few  yards  of  us.  I 
happened  at  the  very  moment  to  go  to  this  spot  to  fetch 
more  wood,  and,  being  entirely  concealed  from  the  lion's 
view  above  by  the  intervening  high  reeds,  we  actually 
met  face  to  face  ! 

The  first  notice  I  got  was  his  sudden  spring  to  one 
side,  accompanied  by  repeated  angry  growls,  while  I 
involuntarily  made  a  convulsive  spring  backward,  at 
the  same  time  giving  a  fearful  shriek,  such  as  I  never 
before  remember  uttering.  I  fancied  just  as  he  growl- 
ed that  he  was  coming  upon  me.  We  now  heaped  on 
more  wood,  and  Icept  up  a  very  strong  fire  until  the  day 
dawned,  the  lions  feasting  beside  us  all  the  time,  not- 
withstanding the  remonstrances  of  the  little  native, 
who,  with  a  true  Bechuana  spirit,  lamenting  the  loss 
of  so  much  good  flesh,  kept  continually  shouting  and 
pelting  them  with  flaming  brands. 

The  next  morning,  when  it  was  clear,  I  arose  and  in- 
spected the  buffaloes.  The  three  that  had  fallen  were 
fine  old  cows,  and  two  of  them  were  partly  consr.mcd 
by  the  lions.  The  ground  all  around  was  packed  flat 
with  their  spoor ;  one  particular  spoor  was  nearly  as 
large  as  that  of  a  borele.  I  then  proceeded  to  inspect 
the  steeds:  the  sand  around  them  was  also  covered  with 
the  lion's  spoor.  He  had  sprung  upon  the  Old  Gray, 
but  had  done  him  no  further  injury  than  scratching  his 
back  through  the  skin:  perhaps  the  lion  had  been  scar- 
ed by  the  rhcims,  or,  on  discovering  his  spare  condition, 
had  preferred  the  bufHxlo. 


120  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

On  the  24th  we  marched  at  dawn  of  day,  and  held 
up  the  Ngotwani,  halting  at  the  fine  large  pool  of  water 
where  I  had  shot  the  three  cow  bufialoes  two  nights 
previously.  I  had  left  Rnyter  and  some  natives  to  look 
after  my  flesh,  and  these  reported  lions  to  have  sur- 
rounded them  all  night,  coming  boldly  up  within  a  few 
yards  of  them,  and  only  retreating  when*burning  brand? 
were  sent  flying  at  their  heads. 

The  26th  was  a  cool,  cloudy  morning,  and  looked  like 
much  rain.  I  was  in  the  saddle  long  before  the  sun 
rose,  and  rode  down  the  river  to  seek  water-buck,  ac- 
companied by  all  my  dogs.  I  had  not  ridden  far  when 
the  dogs  dashed  up  the  wind,  and  started  a  large  herd 
of  cow  buffaloes,  to  which  I  gave  chase.  They  led  me 
a  long  gallop  right  round  camp,  and  ended  by  taking 
down  wind  up  the  Ngotwani,  and  sought  shelter  in  the 
thorny  thickets  along  its  banks.  Here,  as  a  troop  of 
them  charged  past  me,  I  dismounted  and  shot  one  fine 
old  cow;  she  brought  up  in  a  thicket,  but  took  two 
more  balls  before  she  fell. 

The  dogs  were  now  coursing  up  and  down  the  river's 
bank  after  an  old  cow.  with  her  two  calves  of  this  and 
last  year.  At  length  all  three  took  into  a  deep  pool 
some  hundred  yards  long,  and  swam  up  and  down  and 
from  side  to  side,  followed  by  all  the  dogs.  I  wounded 
the  old  cow,  but  would  not  finish  her  then,  and  I  next 
shot  the  two  calves,  one  of  which  sank  to  the  bottom, 
but  soon  after  floated.  I  then  came  home  to  my  camp 
for  the  natives  to  draw  the  flesh.  Returning,  Vv'e  found 
the  old  cow  still  there,  but  standing  in  deep  muddy 
water.  She  carried  a  very  fine  head,  but,  unfortunate- 
ly, a  bullet  had  splintered  the  point  of  one  of  the  horns. 
While  we  were  cutting  up  the  veal^  the  old  cow  ^am'* 
to  the  side  and  got  away.     I  came  shortly  afterward, 


STALKING    WATER-BUCK.  121 

however,  upon  a  very  fine  old  cow  buffalo,  newly  kill- 
ed by  a  lion,  and  was  astonished  to  find  that  it  was  my 
friend  of  the  morning,  with  the  splintered  horn.  The 
lion,  ever  prowling  about,  had  detected  her,  and,  after 
a  long  chase,  had  knocked  her  over.  She  bore  the  most 
fearful  marks  of  his  teeth  on  her  throat,  and  all  her 
back  was  marked  by  his  terrible  claws.  I  thought  that 
there  had  been  a  long  chase,  as  the  buffalo  was  covered 
with  foam  from  the  lion's  mouth. 

Having  inspected  the  buffalo,  I  held  on  up  the  bank 
of  the  river  for  a  couple  of  miles — banks  densely  wood- 
ed— and  then  turned  my  face  for  home,  having  had  a 
good  bathe,  and  been  saluted  by  a  crocodile,  who  popi)cd 
up  his  nose  close  beside  me.  I  rode  out  a  little  dis- 
tance from  the  river's  bank,  and  presently  came  upon 
four  water-bucks.  The  dogs  at  once  gave  chase,  and 
broke  a  buck  from  the  herd,  which  in  one  minute  was 
standing  at  bay  in  the  river,  when  I  galloped  up,  and, 
dismounting,  shot  him.  Soon  after  this,  while  skirting 
some  rocky  hills  bordering  on  the  river,  I  detected  a 
very  fine  old  water-buck  standing  high  up  on  the  sum- 
mit of  one  of  these.  I  stalked  him  in  true  Highland 
fashion  ;  and  when  within  seventy  yards,  I  sent  my 
right  ball  through  his  shoulder.  The  buck  bounded 
over  the  ridge,  and  was  out  of  sight  in  a  moment.  On 
gaining  the  ridge,  with  my  gun  at  the  ready,  I  came 
once  more  within  range,  when  I  sent  a  second  bullet 
through  his  ribs.  While  following  his  bloody  spoor,  I 
heard  groans  on  the  bank  a  little  above  me,  and,  going 
f(ji"ward,  found  a  noble  water-buck  lying  dying,  with 
the  blood  streaming  from  his  mouth.  When  the  life 
was  gone  I  cut  off  his  head,  which  was  borne  to  camp 
before  my  after-rider. 

The  morning  o'  the  27th  was  extremely  hot,  but  T 

Vn...  M.-  r" 


122  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

nevertheless  resolved  t(5  pack  up  and  march  to  Choua- 
ney.  Accordingly,  after  much  trouble  and  manage- 
ment  in  stowing  away  all  my  lumber,  we  got  under 
way  about  11  A.M.,  and  readied  Sichely's  a  little  after 
sundown.  On  the  march  one  of  my  wagon's  after- 
wheels  rolled  off,  but,  very  fcrtunateh^,  the  axle-tree 
escaped.  I  found  Mr.  Livingstone  at  his  devotions, 
and  he  informed  me  that  it  was  Sunday. 

The  next  day  was  deliciously  cloudy,  with  some 
slight  showers  of  rain.  In  the  evening  Sichely  came 
down  to  see  ine,  bringing  my  four  lost  oxen,  which  he 
had  at  length  made  up  his  mind  to  restore.  Three  of 
Sichely's  men  engaged  to  accompany  me  to  the  colony, 
their  wages  to  be  three  guns  and  two  cows, 

I  now  proceeded  slowly  by  way  of  Lotlokane,  Motito, 
and  Campbellsdorp,  and  encamped  on  the  Vaal  River 
on  the  11th  of  November.  Here  I  was  obliged  to  wait 
for  several  days,  owing  to  the  great  body  of  water  com- 
ing down  rendering  a  passage  impossible. 

On  the  16th,  however,  the  river  having  subsided,  I 
inspanned  my  two  wagons,  and  took  the  drift  with  my 
heaviest  wagon,  drawn  by  fourteen  oxen.  I  led  the 
team  on  horseback,  and,  several  Griquas  assisting  us, 
wo  took  the  drift  very  high,  and  got  a  little  more  than 
half  way  through,  when  two  of  the  oxen  became  en- 
tangled in  the  gear,  and,  being  dragged  along,  my  driv 
or  foolishly  halted  the  wagon.  The  result  of  this  fool- 
ish managem.ent  was,  that  the  oxen  instantly  turned 
right-about-face,  and  stood  with  their  heads  up  water, 
the  stream  being  too  powerful  for  them  to  stand  still 
otherwise.  We  spent  a  fruitless  hour  of  very  harassing 
work,  trying  to  right  the  oxen,  which  was,  however, 
impossible,  and  at  length  we  were  obliged  to  cut  away 
the    trek-tow  and   cet    the    oxpn    ashore.      Hfuv,   ;i!hi 


THE    WAGON    GETS    STUCK    IN    THE    RIVER.  123 

resting  them  for  a  little,  Nve  inspanned  them  in  the 
trek-tow,  and,  taking  them  some  distance  above  the 
isolated  wagon,  swam  them  down,  and  tried  to  fix  the 
trek-tow  on  the  dissel-boom;  but  in  this  we  failed,  the 
stream  carrying  away  the  cattle  before  they  made  the 
wagon.  We  had  then  to  go  ashore  and  repeat  the 
process.  In  the  next  attempt  the  oxen  were  brought 
too  near  the  wagon,  and,  getting  foul  of  it,  we  had 
s:reat  difficultv  ^n  extricating  them.  One  ox  remain- 
ed  there  for  half  an  hour  before  we  got  him  clear,  the 
strong  current  holding  him  against  the"  wagon.  We 
next  got  over  the  oxen  and  trek-tow  of  the  other  wag- 
on, and  made  several  attempts  with  these,  but  without 
success. 

The  day  was  now  waning  away,  and  both  men  and 
oxen  were  very  much  knocked  up.  It  was  most  dis- 
tressing work,  and  it  was  greatly  aggravated  by  the 
cruel,  sharp  stones  which  composed  the  river's  bed,  and 
the  virulent,  invisible  doublegee-thorns  with  which  the 
banks  were  strewed.  I  began  to  despair  of  getting  the 
wagon  out  that  day  ;  and  from  the  appearance  of  the 
weather  toward  the  sources  of  the  river  for  some  time 
past,  we  had  every  reason  to  expect  a  flood  at  any  mo- 
ment. It  was  a  dismal  prospect,  and  my  heart  was  ill 
at  ease.  Late  in  the  day  we  made  loose  my  strong 
new  buffalo  trek-tow,  and  bent  it  on  to  the  dissel-boom, 
and  then,  bringing  in  tlie  oxen,  we  managed  to  fasten 
the  tow  on  to  this  one.  I  also  placed  several  men  on 
the  wheels.  This  time  we  very  nearly  succeeded;  the 
wagon  started  and  proceeded  several  yards,  when  one 
of  the  tows  gave  way,  and  we  were  again  left  in  the 
lurch.  Once  more  we  made  the  attempt,  and  again 
failed,  the  oxen  becoming  entangled  with  the  gear.  The 
sun  was  now  under,  and,  all  hands  being  most  coin- 


124  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

pletely  done  up,  we  desisted  for  the  night.  JMy  men 
came  off  to  the  wagon  with  three  of  my  steeds,  and  I 
rummaged  out  some  flesh,  meal,  and  cofiee,  with  some 
sleeping  toggery  and  cooking  utensils  ;  we  then  left  the 
desolate  wagon,  with  great  doubts  of  ever  boarding  it 
again. 

I  could  not  help  thinking  of  Robinson  Crusoe  when 
he  visited  for  the  last  time  the  wreck  of  his  ship.  I 
rested  but  little  that  nig'.it,  and  had  good  reason  to  be 
anxious;  for  if  the  river  should  come  down  at  all,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  do  any  thing  with  the  wagon 
next  day,  and  I  could  not  expect  any  thing  but  to  see  a 
tearing  flood.  If  this  had  happened  I  should  have  been 
utterly  ruined,  for  nearly  all  my  worldly  property  was 
contained  in  the  wagon.  I  sent  a  messenger  to  Mr. 
Hughes,  requesting  him  to  assist  me  in  my  troubles  with 
men  and  oxen  next  day,  although  it  was  the  Sabbath. 

I  had  the  gratification  to  find  at  day-dawn  that  the 
river  had  fallen  a  little  during  the  night,  and  had  just 
finished  my  breakfast  when  four  Griquas  came  up, 
bearing  a  long  stout  rope,  which  Mr.  Hughes  had  for- 
warded for  my  use.  These  men  informed  me  that  he 
had  sent  men  out  in  diflerent  directions  to  seek  for  three 
span  of  his  oxen  to  be  brought  to  my  assistance.  We 
then  set  about  getting  the  gear  in  order,  and  very  soon 
two  spans  of  the  oxen  appeared  with  another  party  of 
Griquas.  We  next  made  fast  one  end  of  the  rope  to 
the  dissel-boom,  and  to  the  other  end  of  this  rope  we  fast- 
ened the  large  buffalo  trek-tow,  which  reached  slanting 
ao"oss  the  strong  current  to  shallower  water  where  the 
oxen  could  stand.  We  then  brought  in  two  span  of 
oxen,  and  fastened  the  end  of  their  tow  on  the  buffalo, 
and  put  the  oxen  in  motion.  They  laid  a  mighty  strain 
on  the  long  tow,  and  the  wagon  moved  slightly,  when 


TUE    RIVER    CROSSED.  l25 

a  strong  rheim,  that  with  many  turns  fastened  two 
of  the  trek-tows,  gave  way,  and  left  me  once  more  in 
trouble. 

The  river  had  at  this  moment  increased  about  six 
inches,  and  was  now  stronger  than  on  the  preceding 
day ;  moreover,  it  was  still  increasing.  This  put  me 
at  once  in  great  consternation ;  my  hopes,  which  a  little 
before  were  very  high,  now  sank,  and  I  expected  in  a 
few  hours,  perhaps,  to  see  my  wagon  overwhelmed  and 
swept  away.  This,  however,  was  not  the  case ;  the 
river  did  not  increase  much  more,  and  in  our  second 
attempt  we  were  successful.  The  trek-tows  were  on 
this  occasion  knotted  together,  the  oxen  all  trekked  fair 
and  together,  and  the  heavily-laden  wagon,  with  its  pre- 
cious contents,  was  rescued  from  a  watery  grave.  We 
hailed  its  rescue  with  continued  cheers  :  the  oxen  held 
stoutly  on,  and  dragged  the  wagon  without  a  check 
right  out  to  the  shallow  water  on  the  border  of  the 
river.  We  then  shortened  the  gear,  and,  having  in- 
spanned  two  after-bullocks,  drove  the  wagon  right  out 
of  the  river's  bed,  and  outspanned  on  the  top  of  the 
high  bank. 

The  next  move  was  to  get  the  other  wagons  through. 
The  Griquas  at  first  made  some  demur,  saying  that  it 
was  Sunday;  but  I  very  soon  got  rid  of  that  objection 
by  telling  them  that  I  would  prepare  some  food  and 
coffee  for  them,  when  they  set  to  work  with  a  good  will, 
and  in  two  hours  more  the  other  three  wagons  were 
brought  safely  through,  and  were  high  and  dry. 

On  the  8th  we  entered  the  village  of  Colesberg.  All 
the  forenoon  I  was  busy  off-loading  two  of  the  wagons. 
We  spread  out  the  curiosities  in  the  niarket-ground, 
making  no  end  of  a  parade  :  it  was  truly  a  very  remark- 
able sight,  and  struck  all  beholders  with  astonishment 


m 


ADVENTURES    IN     SOUTH    AFRICA. 


On  the  13th  I  left  Colesberg,  and  set  out  on  my  way 
to  Grahamstov/n,  passing  on  the  17th  the  Thebus  flats. 
On  the  march  I  saddled  up,  and,  leavuig  the  wagons, 
rode  across  the  country  for  Hendric  Strydom's  farm, 
where  I  had  commenced  ray  sporthig  career  in  South 
Africa.  As  I  rode  across  the  flats  I  found  springbok 
and  black  wildebeest  still  abundant.  On  reaching  the 
residence  of  my  former  friend,  I  found  the  blackness  of 
desolation  pictured  there.  The  house  was  falling  to 
pieces,  and  the  grass  grew  rank  where  the  pot  was 
wont  to  boil.  In  a  melancholy  mood,  I  then  turned  ray 
face  for  the  farm  where  I  had  ordered  my  wagons  to 
halt ;  and,  as  I  rode  along,  I  mused  on  the  fleeting  and 
transient  nature  of  all  human  condition.  On  the  25th 
I  reached  Fort  Beaufort,  where  I  dined  with  some  old 
acquaintances  at  the  mess  of  the  7th. 

On  the  29th  we  marched  to  the  Fish  River  at  dawn 
of  day.  Here  I  found  about  sixty  wagons  waiting  the 
falling  of  the  river  to  get  through.  Some  of  us  set  to 
work  to  clear  away  a  bank  of  mud  on  the  opposite  side, 
after  which  a  good  many  wagons,  lightly  laden,  cross- 
ed the  river ;  but  on  attempting  to  bring  through  my 
large  wagon,  she  stuck  fast,  and  was  at  length  extri- 
cated with  the  help  of  another  span.  We  saved  her 
just  in  time,  for  the  riv^er  was  increasing  fast  when  we 
got  her  out,  and  in  another  half  hour  was  running  a 
rapid  torrent,  at  least  ten  feet  deep.  I  found  several 
vrry  jolly  farmers,  English  and  Scotch,  lying  on  the 
opposite  side  ;  in  particular,  one  Anneslcy,  of  whom  I 
had  heard  a  great  deal.  This  man  was  a  regular 
"brick,"  a  thorough  Scotsman  from  the  borders.  He 
came  up  to  me  at  once,  and  asked  me  to  come  and 
have  a  glass  of  whisky  with  him:  he  was  accompanied 
by  his  family ;  his  eldest  daughter  was  a  very  line  girl 


ARRIVAL    AT    GRAHAMSTO-\VN.  127 

By  the  Isi  of  February  the  river  had  fallen  most 
rapidly.  After  some  Avorlv  in  clearing  av'ay  the  mud 
on  both  sides,  wagons  began  to  cross,  and  a  great  rum- 
pus was  kept  up  during  the  remainder  of  the  day.  I 
got  my  second  wagon  through  about  11  A.M.  Soon 
after  I  had  got  through  good  old  Annesley  took  the  drift, 
and  on  approaching  the  opposite  side  his  wagon  had  the. 
most  fearful  capsize  in  deep  water,  seriously  damaging 
a  quantity  of  very  valuable  property.  In  an  instant 
we  were  all  at  his  assistance,  and  in  a  very  short  time 
we  got  out  his  wife  and  family  and  damaged  cargo,  and 
righted  his  wagon  for  him.  I  brought  him  over  dry 
clothes,  and  spent  about  three  hours  in  assisting  him 
in  his  difficulty.  I  then  inspanned  and  trekked  on  to 
Boatasberg,  where  I  halted  about  midnight,  with  good 
moonlight. 

On  the  2d  I  marched  into  Grahamstown,  where  I  sold 
my  ivory  well,  the  ivory  and  ostrich  feathers  realizing 
in  the  market  somewhere  about  £1000. 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

Start  on  another  Elephant-shooting  Expedition — The  Hart  River — Na 
merous  Pack  of  Wild  Dogs — Mahura,  Chief  of  tlie  Batlapis — Rumors 
of  Wars — The  Meritsane — Lotlokane — Encounter  with  two  Lions  on 
the  Molopo — Chouaney — A  tremendous  Fight  with  a  Buffalo — The 
River  Limpopo — Huge  Crocodiles — A  splendid  Hippopotamus  falls 
to  my  RiHe — Immense  Herds  of  Buffalo  crossing  the  River — The 
Serolomojtiooqiie  Antelope  unknown  to  Naturalists  —  A  Herd  of 
Hippopotami — Fine  Sport  beside    he  River. 

I  REMAINED  in  Grahamstown  for  some  weeks,  beinw 
undecided  as  to  my  future  plans.  At  last,  however,  J 
decided  upon  making  another  elephant-shooting  expe- 


128 


ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 


dition.  I  accordingly  started  for  the  far  interior  on  the 
11th  of  March,  and,  having  resolved  to  try  a  short  cut 
through  the  territories  of  the  chief  Mahura,  1  crossed 
the  Vaal  River  on  the  5th  of  May,  far  to  the  eastward 
of  my  former  track. 

Early  on  the  7th  we  entered  upon  the  broad  strath 
through  w^hich  the  Hart  River  flows.  Here  we  discov- 
ered a  small  fountain,  where  we  halted  for  the  night. 
We  marched  early  on  the  8th,  holding  up  the  strath 
parallel  with  the  Hart  River.  Presently  we  came  upon 
the  largest  pack  of  wild  dogs  I  had  ever  seen  :  there 
were  about  forty  of  them.  They  went  off  very  leisure- 
ly, and  when  my  dogs  chased  them  they  turned  about 
and  showed  fight.  We  were  in  motion  most  of  the 
day  ;  very  large  herds  of  cattle  were  to  be  seen  pastur- 
ing on  all  sides. 

On  the  12th  we  marched  before  breakfast  to  within 
three  miles  of  Mahura.  Having  taken  breakfast,  I  rode 
ahead  with  Ruyter,  and  called  on  Mr.  Ross,  the  resi- 
dent missionary.  We  walked  together  to  the  town, 
and  visited  Mahura  and  his  brother  ;  the  expressions  of 
neither  of  these  men  were  at  all  in  their  favor.  I  told 
Mahura  that  I  wanted  an  ox  with  very  large  horns, 
which  he  promised  to  provide.  He  asked  me  if  Ave 
were  still  at  war  with  the  Tambookie  tribes.  He  also 
mentioned  that  ten  men  of  the  Bastards  had  been  shot 
by  Mochesse's  natives.  Mr.  Ross  informed  me  that 
Mahura  was  at  present  meditating  war  upon  a  tribe  to 
the  northeast,  and  also  that  Mochuarra,  the  cliief  at 
Motito,  meditated  an  attack  upon  Sichely.  In  the 
evening  my  wagons  came  up,  when  I  directed  them 
to  draw  up  in  a  grove  of  cameel-dorn  about  a  mile  be- 
yond the  town. 

The  next  day  Mahura  sent  a  party  of  men  to  mquiro 


THE    CHIEF    MAHURA.  129 

who  had  given  me  permission  to  outspan  where  I  now 
stood,  and  ordering  me  to  inspan  and  return  to  the 
town.  These  men  were  very  insolent  and  overbearing 
in  their  manner.  I  accordingly  at  once  assumed  a  very 
high  tone,  and  said  that,  if  Mahura  was  particular  as 
to  where  I  outspanned,  he  ought  to  have  told  me  so  on 
the  preceding  evening;  that  as  to  returning,  I  would  on 
no  account  return ;  and  that  if  the  chief's  heart  was 
against  me,  I  would  not  wait  to  trade  with  him,  but 
M'ould  at  once  proceed  on  my  journey.  I  also  told  them 
that  Mahura  was  not  my  chief,  and  that  I  cared  not 
for  his  words.  They  then  became  still  more  insolent, 
and  said  that  I  should  learn  what  Mahura  could  do  be- 
fore sunset,  and  they  departed  to  report  my  words  to 
their  tyrannical  chief. 

Mahura  was  sitting  in  the  missionary's  house  :  ac- 
cordingly, I  rode  thither,  and  arrived  along  with  these 
men.  On  my  words  being  reported,  he  was  at  first  ex- 
ceedingly wroth,  and  said  that,  in  consequence  of  what 
I  had  said,  he  would  not  permit  me  to  proceed  through 
his  country.  I  only  smiled  at  these  threats;  and  he 
eventually  cooled  down,  and  took  leave  of  us  apparently 
in  good  humor.  In  the  evening  he  returned  and  took 
tea  with  Mr.  Ross  and  myself,  and  then  accompanied 
me  to  my  camp  ;  he  rode  on  horseback  in  a  large  white 
great-coat,  accompanied  by  his  brother  and  two  other 
mounted  attendants.  I  showed  him  all  my  rifles,  with 
which  he  expressed  himself  much  pleased  ;  having  drank 
his  fill  of  coffee,  he  took  a  friendly  leave,  promising  to 
visit  me  early  next  day. 

True  to  his  word,  Mahura  came  and  breakfasted 
with  me,  after  which  I  obtained  six  karosses  from  him 
in  barter  for  ammunition.  I  then  presented  him  with 
a  whip-stick  and  two    ;Ounds  of  powder,  and  walked 

F2 


130  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

do\yn  to  the  missionary's  house,  ordering  my  men  to 
inspan.  Mahura  promised  to  come  thither  and  take 
leave  of  me,  but  did  not  keep  his  word.  About  mid- 
day I  marched,  holding  a  spoor  of  three  wagons  some 
months  old,  said  to  lead  me  into  my  old  course  at  Great 
Chooi. 

On  the  20th  we  reached  the  bank  of  the  Meritsanc, 
two  miles  below  my  old  spoor.  On  the  march  we  saw 
for  the  first  time  spoor  of  the  black  rhinoceros,  also  pal- 
lah  and  koodoo  on  the  mountain,  and  hartcbeests  on  the 
open  country. 

On  the  22d  we  marched  at  early  dawn,  and,  having 
proceeded  about  four  miles,  left  the  main  road  to  Bak- 
atla,  and  held  across  the  country  to  our  right  for  my 
old  outspanning-place  at  Lotlokane  ;  two  hours  more 
brought  us  thither.  I  did  not  find  the  vast  herds  of 
game  congregated  here  as  usual,  water  being  every 
where  abundant :  the  grass  over  the  whole  country  was 
remarkable,  being  much  higher  than  my  oxen. 

On  the  23d,  when  within  two  miles  of  the  Molopo, 
the  dogs  took  up  the  scent  of  lions.  I  then  halted  my 
wagons,  and,  having  saddled  up  two  horses,  rode  with 
Ruyter  in  quest  of  them,  accompanied  by  ten  of  my 
dogs,  who  kept  the  scent  for  a  short  distance,  and  at 
last  lost  it  altogether,  and  went  off  on  the  scent  of  some 
hartcbeests.  I  now  rode  forward  to  the  Molopo,  which 
I  made  about  one  mile  lower  down  than  the  drift.  This 
darling  little  river  is  here  completely  concealed  by  lofty 
r^eds  and  long  grass,  which  densely  clothe  its  margin 
to  a  distance  of  at  least  a  hundred  yards.  On  each 
side  reitbuck  were  very  abundant.  On  making  the 
river  we  started  one  of  these.  I  rode  up  the  river  side, 
and  immediately  observed  two  old  lions  come  slowly 
out  from  the  adjoining  cover  and  slant  off  toward  the 


A    >'OBLE    PAIR     OF    LIONS.  131 

reeds.  1  galloped  forward  to  endeavor  to  get  between 
them  and  the  reeds;  in  this  I  succeeded.  The  lions, 
imagining  that  we  were  some  sjDecies  of  game,  did  not 
attempt  to  retreat,  but  stood  looking  in  wonder  until  I 
was  within  fifty  yards  of  them,  and  right  between  the 
last  lion  and  the  reeds.  I  was  struck  with  wonder  and 
admiration  at  the  majestic  and  truly  awful  appear- 
ance which  these  two  noble  old  lions  presented. 

They  were  both  very  large ;  the  first,  a  "  schwart 
fore-life,"  or  black-maned  lion  ;  the  last,  which  was  the 
finest  and  the  oldest,  a  "  chiell  fore-life,"  or  yellow- 
maned  lion.  The  black-maned  lion,  after  looking  at 
me  for  half  a  minute,  walked  slowly  forward  and  bound- 
ed into  the  reeds ;  the  dark-brown  lion  would  fain  have 
done  the  same,  but  I  was  now  right  between  him  and 
his  retreat.  He  seemed  not  ait  all  to  like  my  appear- 
ance, but  did  not  yet  feel  certain  what  I  was,  and,  fancy- 
ing that  I  had  not  observed  him,  he  lay  down  in  the  long 
grass.  Ruyter  now  came  up  with  my  rifle.  Having 
loaded  in  the  saddle,  I  waited  a  minute  for  all  my  dogs 
to  come  up,  they  having  gone  off  after  the  reitbuck, 
and  then  rode  slowly  forward  tov/ard  the  lion,  as  if  to 
pass  within  twenty-five  yards  of  him.  Not  one  of  the 
dogs  was  yet  aware  of  the  lion,  and  they  came  on  be- 
hind my  horse. 

This  move  on  my  part  lost  me  the  lion,  for  by  so 
doing  I  laid  open  the  ground  of  retreat  between  him 
and  the  reeds;  and  on  coming  within  twenty  or  twenty- 
five  yards  of  him,  and  while  in  the  act  of  reining  in  my 
horse  to  fire,  he  took  his  eye  off  me,  examined  the 
ground  between  him  and  the  reeds,  and,  seeing  the 
coast  clear,  suddenly  bounded  forward,  and,  before  I 
could  even  dismount  from  my  panic-stricken  steed,  was 
at  the  edge  of  the  reeds,  which  he  entered  with  a  lofty 


132  ADVliNTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

spring,  malcing  the  water  fly  as  he  pitched  into  it. 
Several  of  the  dogs  entered  after  him,  but  immediately 
retreated,  barking  over  their  shoulders  in  great  fear. 
Thus  I  lost  this  most  noble  lion,  which,  with  better 
management,  I  might  easily  have  slain.  I  ought  to 
have  approached  him  on  foot,  leading  my  steed,  and  I 
ougnL  not  to  have  laid  open  the  ground  of  retreat. 

On  the  27th  we  trekked  to  Chouaney,  which  we 
reached  at  sundown,  and  remained  there  to  trade  next 
day.  I  obtained  from  Sichely  two  natives  to  accom- 
pany me  to  the  Limpopo,  their  pay  being  a  musket 
each.  I  got  also  from  the  chief  twelve  elephants'  teeth, 
several  very  fine  karosses,  native  arms,  and  other  curi- 
osities. 

About  mid-day  we  marched,  and  slept  near  the  Ngot- 
wani,  along  whose  banks  my  course  lay  for  the  Lim- 
popo. The  country  through  which  the  Ngotwani  twines 
is  soft  and  sandy,  and  in  general  covered  with  dense 
thorny  jungle,  which  greatly  impeded  our  progress,  hav- 
ing constantly  to  cut  a  passage  before  the  wagons  could 
advance.  Several  lions  commenced  roaring  around  us 
soon  after  the  sun  went  down. 

On  the  evening  of  the  next  day  I  had  a  glorious  row 
with  an  old  bull  buffalo:  he  was  the  only  large  bull  in 
a  fine  herd  of  cows.  I  found  their  spoor  while  walking 
ahead  of  the  wagons,  and,  following  it  up,  came  upon 
a  part  of  the  herd  feeding  quietly  in  a  dense  part  of  the 
forest.  I  fired  my  first  shot  at  a  cow,  which  I  wounded. 
The  other  half  of  the  herd  then  came  up  right  in  my 
face,  within  six  yards  of  me.  They  would  have  tram- 
pled on  me  if  I  had  not  sung  out  in  their  faces  and 
turned  them.  I  selected  the  old  bull,  and  sent  a  bullet 
into  his  shoulder.  The  herd  then  crashed  along  through 
the  jungle  to  my  right,  but  he  at  once  broke  away  frora 


HUNTING    ON    THE    LIMPOPO.  133 

them  and  took  to  my  left.  On  examining  his  spoor,  I 
found  it  bloody.  I  then  went  to  meet  my  wagons, 
which  I  heard  coming  on,  and,  ordering  the  men  to  out- 
span,  took  all  my  dogs  to  the  spoor.  They  ran  it  up 
in  fine  style,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  silence  of  the 
forest  was  disturbed  by  a  tremendous  bay.  On  running 
toward  the  sound,  I  met  the  old  fellow  coming  on  to- 
ward the  wagons,  with  all  my  dogs  after  him.  I  saluted 
him  with  a  second  ball  in  the  shoulder  ;  he  held  on  and 
took  up  a  position  in  the  thicket  within  forty  yards  of 
the  wagons,  where  I  finished  him.  He  carried  a  most 
splendid  head. 

On  the  Sth  of  June  we  made  the  long- wished- for  fair 
Limpopo  an  hour  before  sunset.  I  was  at  once  struck 
with  this  most  interesting  river :  the  trees  along  its 
banks  were  of  prodigious  size  and  very  great  beauty. 
At  the  very  spot  where  I  made  the  water,  a  huge  croco- 
dile lay  upon  the  sand  on  the  opposite  side ;  on  observ- 
ing me  he  dashed  into  the  stream. 

The  next  day  I  rode  ahead  of  the  wagons  with  Ruy- 
ter,  and  hunted  along  the  bank  of  the  river.  I  imme- 
diately shot  a  water-buck.  This  animal  and  pallah 
were  very  abundant.  As  I  advanced  I  found  large  vleys 
along  the  river  side,  a  favorite  haunt  of  the  water-buck. 
After  breakfast  I  again  rode  forth  with  fresh  horses 
with  my  Bushman.  We  still  found  water-buck  and 
pallah  very  abundant.  I  presently  gave  chase  to  a  herd 
of  the  former  to  try  their  speed ;  but  as  they  led  me  into 
the  midst  of  a  labyrinth  of  marshy  vleys,  I  gave  it  up. 

At  that  instant  the  Bushman  whispered,  "  Sir,  sir;" 
and  looking  to  my  right,  two  princely  old  buffaloes  stood 
in  the  jungle  within  forty  yards  of  me.  They  got  my 
wind,  and  started  before  I  could  get  ready  to  fire.  They 
held  along  the  river  bank  ahead  of  me  but  not  requiring 


134  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

them  I  did  not  give  chase.  After  this  I  carao  upon  a 
huge  crocodile  basking  on  the  sand,  which  instantly 
dashed  into  the  stream.  I  now  got  into  a  vast  laby- 
rinth  of  marshes  of  great  extent.  Several  species  of 
wild  duck  and  a  variety  of  water-fowl  were  extreme- 
ly abundant  and  very  tame,  hundreds  passing  before 
my  eyes  at  once ;  Guinea-fowl,  three  sorts  of  large 
partridge,  and  two  kinds  of  quail  being  likewise  nu- 
merous. 

I  presently  wounded  a  noble  old  water-buck  as  he 
dashed  past  me  in  marshy  ground.     In  following  him 
up  I  met  an  old  buck  pallah,  which  I  shot  dead  on  the 
spot  with  a  ball  in  the  middle  of  the  breast.     Follow- 
ing on  after  the  wounded  water-buck,  along  the  high 
bank  of  the  river,  which  was,  however,  concealed  from 
my  view  by  the  dense  cover,  I  suddenly  heard  a  loud 
splash,  and,  coming  suddenly  clear  of  the  cover,  behel-d 
the  lovely  water-buck  standing  broadside  on  an  island 
in  the  middle  of  the  river.    Before  I  could  dismount  to 
fire,  he  dashed  into  the  water  and  swam  to  the  opposite 
bank.     I  grasped  my  trusty  little  Moore  and  waited 
till  he  won  the  terra  firma,  when  with  one  well-directed 
shot  I  dropped  him  on  the  spot.     A  very  strange  thing 
then  occurred ;  the  buck,  in  his  death-pangs,  slid  down 
into  the  river,  and,  continuing  his  struggles,  swam  half 
way  across  the  river  back  to  the  island,  where  he  lay 
upon  a  sand-bank.    I  then  divested  myself  of  my  leath- 
ers, spurs,  and  veldt-schoens,  and  was  wading  in  to 
(etch  him,  when  the  river  carried  him  off,  and,  fearing 
the  horrible  crocodiles,  I  did  not  attempt  to  follow.    It 
was  now  late,  and  I  rode  for  my  wagon-spoor,  which  I 
failed  to  find  until  I  had  returned  to  where  we  had  that 
morning  breakfasted.     I  had  been  following  the  turns 
of  the  river,  and  the  wagons  had  taken  a  short  cut 


CROCODILE  SHOOTING.  135 

across  the  country.     I  reached  them  in  the  dark  by 
great  good  luck. 

On  the  IGth  I  rode  ahead  of  ray  wagons  at  day- 
dawn :  thick  mist  was  rolling  along  the  Limpopo.  Pres- 
ently I  saw  two  crocodiles  in  the  stream  below  me.  A 
little  after  I  had  the  pleasure  to  find,  for  the  first  time, 
the  spoor  of  sea-cows  or  hippopotami.  I  had  never  be- 
fore seen  it,  but  I  knew  it  must  be  theirs ;  it  was  very 
similar  to  the  spoor  of  borele,  or  black  rhinoceros,  but 
larger,  and  had  four  toes  instead  of  three.  Before  re- 
turning to  my  wagons  I  tried  to  ride  down  a  water- 
buck,  which  I  turned  off  from  the  river,  but  in  this  I 
failed,  though  I  managed  to  keep  close  to  him  in  the 
chase,  and  eventually  to  knock  him  up  along  with  ray 
horse. 

I  again  sallied  forth  with  the  Bushman  and  fresh 
steeds,  and,  directing  the  wagons  to  take  the  straight 
3ourse,  followed  the  windings  of  the  river.  Presently, 
k)oking  over  the  bank,  I  behold  three  enormous  croco- 
liles  basking  on  the  sand  on  the  opposite  side.  I  was 
istonished  at  their  awful  appearance  and  size,  one  of 
them  appearing  to  me  to  be  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  in 
length,  with  a  body  as  thick  as  that  of  an  ox.  On  ob- 
serving us  they  plunged  into  the  dead  water  by  the  side 
of  the  stream.  The  next  rainute,  one  of  them  popping 
up  his  terrible  head  in  the  middle  of  the  stream,  I  made 
a  beautiful  shot,  and  sent  a  ball  through  the  middle  of 
his  brains.  The  convulsions  of  death  which  followed 
A\'ere  truly  awful.  At  first  he  sank  for  an  instant  to 
the  shot,  but,  instantly  striking  the  bottom  with  his 
tail,  he  shot  up  above  the  water,  when  he  struggled 
violently,  sometiraes  on  his  back  and  then  again  on  his 
belly,  with  at  one  time  his  head  and  fore  feet  above  the 
water,  and  immediately  after  his  tail  end  hind  legs,  the 


136  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

former  lashing  the  water  with  a  force  truly  astounding 
Clouds  of  sand  accompanied  him  in  all  his  movements, 
the  strong  stream  carrying  him  along  with  it,  till  at 
length  the  struggle  of  death  was  over,  and  he  sank  to 
rise  no  more. 

Following  the  windings  of  the  river,  I  detected  a 
small  crocodile  basking  on  the  sand,  when  I  gave  him 
a  shot,  and  he  instantly  plunged  into  the  river.  A 
little  further  on  I  wounded  a  third  as  he  lay  on  a  prom- 
ontory of  sand,  and  he  likewise  made  the  water.  A 
little  further  down  the  stream,  yet  another  crocodile,  a 
huge  old  sinner,  lay  basking  on  the  sand.  I  determin- 
ed to  make  a  very  correct  shot  in  this  case,  and  set 
about  stalking  him.  Creeping  up  behind  the  trujik  of 
a  prostrate  old  tree,  I  took  a  rest  and  sent  the  ball  into 
his  nostril,  when  he  plunged  into  the  river,  coloring  the 
water  with  his  blood. 

We  now  got  into  a  fine  green  turn  of  the  river,  where 
I  saw  a  great  many  water-bucks.  I  shot  one  buck 
pallah,  and  immediately  after  I  came  suddenly  upon  a 
troop  of  five  or  six  beautiful  leopards.  At  the  next 
bend  of  the  river  three  huge  crocodiles  lay  on  the  sand 
on  the  opposite  side.  Stalking  within  easy  range,  I 
shot  one  of  them  in  the  head :  his  comrades  instantly 
dashed  into  the  water,  but  he  lay  as  if  dead  high  on 
the  sand.  A  second  shot,  however,  through  the  ribs 
brought  him  back  to  life.  On  receiving  it,  he  kept 
running  round  and  round,  snapping  his  horrid  jaws 
fearfully  at  his  own  wounded  side.  In  the  convulsions 
of  death  he  made  one  run  clean  away  from  the  water, 
but  another  unlucky  turn  brought  his  head  toward  the 
river,  into  which  he  eventually  rolled.  Galloping  along 
from  this  place  to  my  wagons,  I  came  suddenly  upon  a 
lion  and  lioness  lying  in  the  grass  below  a  gigantic  old 


mPPOPOTAMI    AND    BUFFALOES.  ISj 

mimosa.  Dismounting  from  my  horse,  I  took  a  couple 
of  shots  at  the  lion,  missing  him  with  my  first,  but 
wounding  him  with  my  second  shot,  when  he  rose  with 
several  angry  short  growls  and  bounded  off.  A  few 
hundred  yards  further  on  I  found  my  wagons  drawn 
up,  and  on  reaching  them  my  men  informed  me  that 
they  had  just  seen  two  huge  hippopotami  in  the  river 
beneath.  Proceeding  to  the  spot,  we  found  them  still 
swimming  there.  I  shot  one,  putting  three  balls  into 
his  head,  when  he  sank,  but  night  setting  in  we  lost 
him. 

At  dawn  of  day  on  the  12th  a  noise  was  heard  for 
about  twenty  minutes  up  the  river,  like  the  sound  of 
the  sea,  accompanied  by  the  lowing  of  buffaloes.  It 
was  a  herd  crossing  the  river.  I  rode  thither  to  look 
at  them,  and  was  retracing  my  steps  to  camp,  when, 
within  three  hundred  yards  of  my  wagons,  I  beheld  an 
old  bull  buffalo  standing  contemplating  my  camp,  with 
my  followers  looking  at  him  in  great  consternation. 
They  set  the  dogs  after  him,  when  he  took  away  up 
the  river.  As  the  ground  was  extremely  bad  for  rid- 
ing, being  full  of  deep  holes,  and  all  concealed  with 
long  grass,  it  was  some  time  before  I  could  get  away 
after  the  dogs ;  and  when  I  had  ridden  a  short  dis- 
tance, I  met  them  all  returning,  their  feet  being  com- 
pletely done  up  with  the  long  march  from  the  colony. 

I  now  turned  my  face  once  more  for  camp,  when  I 
heard  one  of  my  dogs  at  bay  behind  me.  Galloping  up 
to  the  spot,  I  found  my  dog  "Lion"  standing  baiking 
at  an  old  water-buck  in  an  open  flat.  The  buck,  on 
observing  me,  made  away  for  the  river,  and,  joining  a 
herd  of  does,  they  dashed  into  the  stream,  and  were 
immediately  upon  the  opposite  bank.  I  was  in  a  se- 
questered bend  of  the  river,  where  tho  banks  for  sfcveral 


138  ADVENTURES    IN   SOUTH    AFRICA. 

acres  were  densely  clad  with  lofty  reeds  and  grass,  which 
towered  above  my  head  as  I  sat  on  my  horse's  back. 
Beyond  the  reeds  and  grass  were  trees  of  all  sizes,  form 
ing  a  dense  shade :  this  is  the  general  character  of  tho 
banks  of  the  Limpopo,  as  far  as  I  have  yet  seen.  I  was 
slowly  returning  to  my  camp,  in  any  thing  but  good 
humor  at  my  want  of  success  with  the  game  I  had  just 
been  after,  when,  behold,  an  antelope  of  the  most  ex- 
quisite beauty,  and  utterly  unknown  to  sportsmen  or 
naturalists,  stood  broadside  in  my  path,  looking  me  full 
in  the  face.  It  was  a  princely  old  buck  of  the  serolo- 
mootlooque  of  the  Bakalahari,  or  bush-buck  of  the  Lim- 
popo. He  carried  a  very  fine,  wide-set  pair  of  horns. 
On  beholding  him  I  was  struck  with  wonder  and  de- 
light. My  heart  beat  with  excitement.  I  sprang  from 
my  saddle,  but  before  I  could  fire  a  shot  this  gem  of 
beauty  bounded  into  the  reeds  and  was  lost  to  ray  sight. 
At  that  moment  I  would  have  given  half  what  I  pos- 
sessed in  this  world  for  a  broadside  at  that  lovely  ante- 
lope, and  I  at  once  resolved  not  to  proceed  further  on 
my  expedition  until  I  had  captured  him,  although  it 
should  cost  me  the  labor  of  a  month. 

The  antelope  having  entered  the  reeds,  I  gave  my 
horse  to  my  after-rider,  and  with  my  rifle  on  full  cock 
and  at  the  ready,  proceeded  to  stalk  with  extreme  cau- 
tion throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  tho  cover ; 
but  I  stalked  in  vain;  the  antelope  had  vanished,  and 
was  nowhere  to  be  found.  I  then  returned  to  my  steed, 
and  rode  slowly  up  the  river's  bank  toward  my  camp. 
I  had  ridden  to  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  wag- 
ons, and  was  meditating  how  I  should  best  circumvent 
the  serolomootlooque,  when  once  more  this  lovely  ante- 
lope crossed  my  path.  I  had  been  unwittingly  driving 
him  before  me  along  the  bank  of  the  river.     He  trotted 


THE    SEROLOMOOTLOOQUE.  139 

like  a  roebuck  into  the  thick  cover,  and  then  stood 
broadside  among  the  thorn  bushes.  I  sprang  from  my 
saddle,  and  guessing  about  liis  position,  I  fired  and 
missed  him;  he  then  trotted  along  a  rhinoceros's  foot- 
path, and  gave  me  a  second  chance.  Again  I  fired, 
and  before  my  rifle  was  down  from  my  shoulder  the 
serolomootlooque  lay  prostrate  in  the  dust.  The  ball 
had  cut  the  skin  open  along  his  ribs,  and,  entering  his 
body,  had  passed  along  his  neck,  and  had  lodged  in  his 
brains,  where  we  found  it  on  preparing  the  head  for 
stuffing.  I  was  not  a  little  gratified  at  my  good  for- 
tune in  securing  this  novel  and  valuable  trophy;  he 
was  one  of  the  most  perfect  antelopes  I  had  ever  be- 
held, both  in  symmetry  and  color.  I  had  him  imme- 
diately conveyed  to  camp,  where  I  took  his  measure- 
ment, and  wrote  out  a  correct  description  of  him  for 
the  benefit  of  naturalists.  I  christened  him  the  "  An- 
telopus  E-oualeynei,"  or  "  bush-buck  of  the  Limpopo." 
The  next  day  I  breakfasted  before  the  sun  rose,  and 
then  rode  down  the  river's  bank  with  Ruyter.  I  first 
shot  an  old  buck  pallah,  and,  having  ridden  a  few  miles 
further,  came  upon  two  fine  old  water-bucks  fighting, 
when  I  stalked  in  within  a  hundred  yards,  and  shot 
them  both  right  and  left.  The  heads  wei'e  fair  speci- 
mens, but,  having  many  better,  I  reluctantly  left  them 
to  perish  in  the  feldt.  Hereabouts  I  found  fresh  spoor 
of  hippopotami  of  the  preceding  night.  I  followed  this 
spoor  to  a  considerable  distance  along  the  margin  of  the 
liver,  and  at  last  came  upon  the  troop.  They  were 
lying  in  a  shady,  seciuestered  bend  of  the  river,  beneath 
some  gigantic  shady  trees.  In  this  place  the  water 
in  heavy  floods  had  thrown  up  large  banks  of  sand,  in 
which  they  had  hollowed  out  their  beds.  The  spot  was 
surrounded  with  dense  underwood  and  reeds,  and  was 


140  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

adjacent  to  a  very  deep  and  broad  stream,  into  which 
their  foot-paths  led  in  every  direction. 

I  was  first  apprised  of  my  proximity  to  them  by  a 
loud  cry  from  one  old  bull,  who  took  alarm  at  the  sud- 
den flight  of  a  species  of  heron  ;  his  cry  was  not  unlike 
that  of  an  elephant.  He  stood  in  water  which  reached 
halfway  up  his  side,  shaking  his  short  ears  in  the  sun; 
every  half  minute  he  disappeared  beneath  the  water, 
when,  again  parading  half  of  his  body,  he  uttered  a 
loud  snorting,  blowing  noise.  On  observing  him,  I  dis- 
mounted, and  every  time  he  disappeared  I  ran  in,  un- 
til I  stood  behind  the  tall  reeds  within  twenty  yards  of 
him.  Here  I  might  have  dropped  him  with  a  single 
ball,  but  I  unfortunately  made  up  my  mind  not  to  mo- 
lest them  until  next  day,  when  I  should  have  men  to 
assist  me  to  get  them  out.  Presently  he  observed  me, 
when  he  dived,  and  swam  rouncf  a  shady  promontory 
into  the  deep  stream,  where  he  and  his  comrades  kept 
up  a  continual  loud  blowing  noise.  I  returned  to  camp, 
and,  having  ordered  my  men  to  inspan,  I  tried  a  drift 
on  horseback,  and  crossed  the  Limpopo,  but,  the  water 
coming  over  my  saddle,  I  did  not  attempt  to  bring 
through  my  wagons.  We  accordingly  held  on  our 
course  on  the  northwestern  bank  of  the  river,  and  out- 
spanned  about  a  mile  above  the  place  where  I  had 
found  the  hippopotami. 

When  the  sun  went  down  the  sea-cows  commenced 
a  march  up  the  river.  They  passed  along  opposite  to 
my  camp,  making  the  most  extraordinary  sound:*  - 
blowing,  snorting,  and  roaring,  sometimes  crashing 
through  the  reeds,  and  sometimes  swimming  g''ntly, 
and  splashing  and  sporting  through  the  water.  There 
being  a  little  moonlight,  I  went  down  with  my  man 
Carey,  and  sat  some  time  on  the  river's  bank  contem. 


SEARCH    FOR    HIPPOPOTARn.  141 

plating  these  wonderful  monsters  of  the  river.  It  was 
a  truly  grand  and  very  extraordinary  scene  ;  the  op- 
posite bank  of  the  stream  was  clad  with  trees  of  gi- 
gantic size  and  great  beauty,  which  added  greatly  *to 
the  interest  of  the  picture. 

On  the  14th,  after  a  very  early  breakfast,  I  proceed- 
ed with  three  after-riders,  two  double-barreled  rifles, 
and  about  a  hundred  rounds  of  ammunition,  to  the  spot 
where  I  had  yesterday  found  the  hippopotami ;  but  they 
had  taken  alarm,  and  were  all  gone.  The  spoor  lead- 
ing up  the  river,  I  rode  along  the  banks,  examining  every 
pool  until  my  steed  was  quite  knocked  up,  but  found 
not  a  single  sea-cow.  The  spoor  still  led  up  the  river; 
they  had  made  short  cuts  at  every  bend,  sometimes 
taking  the  direct  line  on  my  side,  and  sometimes  on  the 
other.  Finding  that  I  must  sleep  in  the  feldt  if  I  fol- 
lowed on,  I  dispatched  Ruyter  to  camp  for  my  blank- 
ets, coffee-kettle,  biscuit,  &c.,  and  fresh  steeds.  I 
searched  on  foot,  and  penetrated  every  thicket  and  ev- 
ery dense  jungle  of  reeds  that  overhung  the  river,  until 
at  last,  faint  with  hunger  and  fatigue,  I  sought  some 
game  on  which  to  make  a  luncheon,  and  had  the  good 
fortune  to  fall  in  with  a  young  doe  of  the  "  Antelopus 
Roualeynei,"  which  I  shot,  and  in  a  few  minutes  she 
was  roasting  on  a  mighty  fire. 

Ruyter,  at  this  moment  coming  up,  brought  a  wel- 
come supply  of  biscuit  and  coffee,  and  reported  my  yel- 
low horse  "Flux,"  about  my  very  best,  to  have  died  of 
horse-sickness.  After  luncheon  I  continued  my  search 
for  hippopotami,  and  just  as  the  sun  went  down  I  start- 
ed an  old  fellow  from  beneath  some  tall  reeds,  which 
hung  over  a  deep  broad  pool.  On  hearing  me  approach 
he  dived  with  a  loud  splash,  and  immediately  reappeared 
with  a  blowing  noise  a  little  further  up  the  river,  and 


142  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

within  twenty  yards  of  the  bank.  Having  looked  about 
him,  he  again  dived,  and  continued  his  course  up  the 
river,  which  coukl  be  traced  from  the  wave  above.  I 
ran  in  front  of  him,  and  when  he  came  up  the  third 
time  I  was  standing  opposite  to  him,  ready  with  my 
rifle  at  my  shoulder.  I  sent  the  bullet  into  his  brain, 
when  he  floundered  for  one  moment  at  the  surface,  and 
then  sank  to  the  bottom.  There  he  most  probably  only 
remained  for  half  an  hour  ;  but  in  a  few  minutes  night 
set  in,  and  I  had  thus  the  extreme  mortifiGation  to  lose 
ray  hippopotamus,  the  second  one  which  I  had  shot. 
We  slept  beneath  a  shady  tree ;  at  nrdnight  a  few  drops 
of  rain  fell,  and  I  feared  a  drenching;  it,  however,  pass- 
ed away.  In  the  course  of  the  day  we  saw  several  very 
large  crocodiles,  three  of  which  I  shot.  One  of  these 
lay  upon  an  island ;  I  shot  him  dead  on  the  spot ;  he 
did  not  gain  the  water. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

We  cross  the  Limpopo — Rash  Encounter  with  a  Hippopotamns — Re« 
niarkable  dome-like  Rock — Two  Serolomootlooques  shot — Hollow 
Trees  containing  Honey — Gigantic  Ant-hills — Hunting  across  the 
Limpopo — Another  Boa  Constrictor — A  Visit  from  Seleka — A  Sea- 
cow  shot,  which  sinks — ResuiTection  of  the  Beast — Splendid  Hippo- 
potamus-shooting. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  having  found  a  good  drift,  1 
crossed  the  Limpopo  with  my  wagons,  and  drew  them 
up  in  a  green  and  shady  spot.  I  then  rode  a  long  way 
down  the  eastern  bank  in  quest  of  hippopotami,  and 
late  in  the  evening  I  found  one,  which  I  did  not  mo- 
lest,  trusting  to  find  him  next  day. 


1    HERD    OF    HIPPOPOTAm.  143 

On  the  18th  a  dense  mist  hung  over  the  river  all  the 
morning.  Ordering  the  wagons  to  follow  in  an  hour, 
I  rode  ahead  to  seek  the  sea-cow  of  the  previous  night, 
but  after  a  long  search  I  gave  it  up  as  a  bad  job,  and, 
kindling  a  fire  to  warm  myself,  awaited  the  wagons, 
which  presently  came  up.  Here  I  halted  for  two  hours, 
and  then  once  more  rode  ahead  to  seek  hippopotami. 
The  river  became  more  promising  for  sea-cow.  xA.t 
every  turn  there  occurred  deep,  still  pools,  with  occa- 
sional sandy  islands  densely  clad  with  lofty  reeds,  and 
with  banks  covered  with  reeds  to  a  breadth  of  thirt} 
yards.  Above  and  beyond  these  reeds  stood  trees  of 
immense  age  and  gigantic  size,  beneath  which  grew  a 
long  and  very  rank  description  of  grass,  on  w'hich  the 
sea-cow  delights  to  pasture. 

I  soon  found  fresh  spoor,  and  after  holding  on  for  sev 
eral  miles,  just  as  the  sun  was  going  down,  and  as  I 
entered  a  dense  reed  cover,  I  came  upon  the  fresh  lairs 
of  four  hippopotami.  They  had  been  lying  sleeping  on 
the  margin  of  the  river,  and,  on  hearing  me  come  crack- 
ling through  the  reeds,  had  plunged  into  the  deep  wa- 
ter. I  at  once  ascertained  that  they  were  newly  start- 
ed, for  the  froth  and  bubbles  were  still  on  the  spot  where 
they  had  plunged  in.  Next  moment  I  heard  them  blow- 
ing a  little  way  down  the  river.  I  then  headed  them, 
and,  with  considerable  difficulty,  owing  to  the  cover 
and  the  reeds,  at  length  came  right  down  above  where 
they  were  standing.  It  was  a  broad  part  of  the  river, 
with  a  sandy  bottom,  and  the  water  came  half  way  up 
their  sides.  There  were  four  of  them,  three  cows  and 
an  old  bull ;  they  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  and, 
though  alarmed,  did  not  app-'-ar  aware  nf  the  e.\to::{  uf 
the  impending  danger. 

1  took  the  sea-cow  next  me,  and  v.ith  mv  firs^t  bail  I 


144  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    Al'RICA. 

gave  her  a  mortal  wound,  knocking  loose  a  great  plate 
on  the  top  of  her  skull.  She  at  once  commenced  plung- 
ing round  and  round,  and  tlien  occasionally  remained 
still,  sitting  for  a  few  minutes  on  the  same  spot.  On 
hearing  the  report  of  my  rifle  two  of  the  others  took  up 
stream,  and  the  fourth  dashed  down  the  river ;  they  trot- 
ted along,  like  oxen,  at  a  smart  pace  as  long  as  the  wa- 
ter was  shallow.  I  was  now  in  a  state  of  very  great 
anxiety  about  my  wounded  sea-cow,  for  I  feared  that 
she  would  get  down  into  deep  water,  and  be  lost  like 
the  last  one  ;  her  struggles  were  still  carrying  her  down 
stream,  and  the  water  was  becoming  deeper.  To  set- 
tle the  matter,  I  accordingly  fired  a  second  shot  from 
the  bank,  which  entering  the  roof  of  her  skull,  passed 
out  through  her  eye  ;  she  then  kept  continually  splash- 
ing round  and  round  in  a  circle  in  the  middle  of  the 
river.  I  had  great  fears  of  the  crocodiles,  and  did  not 
know  that  the  sea-cow  might  not  attack  me.  My  anx- 
iety to  secure  her,  however,  overcame  all  hesitation ; 
so,  divesting  myself  of  my  leathers,  and  armed  with  a 
sharp  knife,  I  dashed  into  the  water,  which  at  first  took 
me  up  to  my  arm-pits,  but  in  the  middle  was  shal- 
lower. 

As  I  approached  Behemoth  her  eye  looked  very  wick- 
ed. I  halted  for  a  moment,  ready  to  dive  under  the 
water  if  she  attacked  me ;  but  she  was  stunned,  and 
did  not  know  what  she  was  doing;  so,  running  in  upon 
her,  and  seizing  her  short  tail,  I  attempted  to  incline 
her  course  to  land.  It  was  extraordinary  what  enor- 
mous strength  she  still  had  in  the  water.  I  could  not 
guide  her  in  the  slightest,  and  she  continued  to  splash, 
and  plunge,  and  blow,  and  make  her  circular  course, 
carrying  me  along  A'ith  her  as  if  I  was  a  fly  on  her  tail. 
Finding  her  tail  gave  me  but  a  poor  hold,  as  the  cnly 


ENCOUNTER    WITH    A    HIPPOPOTAMUS.  145 

means  of  securing  my  prey,  I  took  out  my  knife  and 
cut  two  deep  parallel  incisions  through  the  skin  on  her 
rump.  Lifting  this  skin  from  the  flesh  so  that  I  could 
get  in  my  two  hands,  I  made  use  of  this  as  a  handle ; 
and  after  some  desperate  hard  work,  sometimes  push- 
ing and  sometimes  pulling,  the  sea-cow  continuing  her 
circular  course  all  the  time,  and  I  holding  on  at  her 
rump  like  grim  Death,  eventually  I  succeeded  in  bring- 
ing this  gigantic  and  most  powerful  animal  to  the  bank. 
Here  the  Bushman  quickly  brought  me  a  stout  bufla- 
lo  rheim  from  my  horse's  neck,  which  I  passed  through 
the  opening  in  the  thick  skin,  and  moored  Behemoth 
to  a  tree.  I  then  took  my  rifle  and  sent  a  ball  through 
the  center  of  her  head,  and  she  was  numbered  with  the 
dead. 

At  this  moment  my  wagons  came  tip  within  a  few 
hundred  yards  of  the  spot,  where  I  outspanned,  and  by 
moonlight  we  took  down  a  span  of  select  oxen  and  a 
pair  of  rheim  chains,  and  succeeded  in  dragging  the 
sea-cow  high  and  dry.  We  were  all  astonished  at  her 
enormous  size  ;  she  appeared  to  be  about  five  feet  broad 
across  the  belly.  I  could  see  much  beauty  in  the  an- 
imal, which  Nature  has  admirably  formed  for  the  am- 
phibious life  it  was  destined  to  pursue. 

We  were  occupied  all  the  morning  of  the  19th  cut- 
ting up  and  salting  the  select  parts  of  the  sea-cow  ;  of 
the  skull  I  took  particular  charge.  She  was  extreme- 
ly fat,  more  resembling  a  pig  than  a  cow  or  a  horse. 
In  the  evening  I  rode  down  the  river,  and  shot  a  brace 
of  water-bucks,  after  which  I  left  the  river-bank  and 
rode  to  the  summit  of  an  adjacent  hill,  from  which  I 
obtained  a  fine  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  Many 
bold  blue  mountain  ranges  stood  to  the  north  and  north- 
west;  to  the  east  and  southeast  were  also  inonntain 

Vol.  II— G 


146 


ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 


ranges  ;  while  to  the  south  a  very  remarkable  light- 
colored  rock,  in  the  form  of  a  dome,  shot  high  above  the 
level  of  the  surrounding  forest. 

The  next  day,  at  dawn,  I  rode  down  the  river  side 
to  seek  serolomootlooques,  and  ordered  my  wagons  to 
follow  in  a  couple  of  hours.  After  riding  a  few  miles, 
I  observed  a  serolomootlooque  of  surpassing  beauty 
standing  on  the  top  of  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river  ; 
he  stood  with  his  breast  to  me,  and  from  the  broad  belt 
of  reeds  on  this  side  of  the  water  it  was  impossible  to 
get  nearer  than  a  hundred  yards  of  him.  Taking  a 
deliberate  aim,  I  fired  olT-hand,  and  heard  the  ball  tell 
upon  him.  Here  the  river  was  deep,  requiring  swim- 
ming, and  I  had  fears  of  the  crocodiles.  I  sent  the 
Bushman  across,  however,  on  horseback,  who  imme- 
diately discovered  blood,  and  presently  came  upon  the 
buck,  and  found  his  fore-arm  smashed  in  the  shoulder. 
I  went  over,  and,  starting  the  buck  in  the  cover,  put  a 
bullet  in  his  ribs.  He  then  got  into  some  thick  reeds, 
when  I  took  up  a  position  on  one  side,  and  ordered  Ruy- 
ter  to  beat  up  the  cover.  The  buck  broke  near  me, 
when  I  sent  a  third  bullet  right  through  and  through 
his  shoulder ;  and  the  tough  old  buck  still  scorning  to 
fall,  I  quickly  fired  my  other  barrel,  and  most  unluck- 
ily cut  his  lovely  horn  off"  at  the  base.  The  buck  now 
charged  headlong  into  a  thick  bush,  and  died.  His 
head,  before  I  destroyed  it,  was  perhaps  the  finest  along 
the  banks  of  the  Limpopo ;  the  horns  were  of  extraordi- 
nary length,  and  had  a  most  perfect  set  and  tarn. 

We  now  swam  our  steeds  back  to  the  saddlery,  and 
presently  overtook  the  wagons.  I  deposited  my  dam- 
aged  trophy,  and,  mounting  fresh  steeds,  rode  once  mora 
ahead.  I  was  not  ten  minutes  away  from  the  \\  apona 
when  I  started  another  serolomootlooque,  a  first-rate  old 


A    BULL    ELAND    SHOT.  147 

buck,  very  nearly  as  good  as  the  last.  Imagining  our 
horses  were  some  beasts  of  the  forest,  he  turned  to  look 
at  us,  when  I  shot  him  in  the  heart.  The  wagons  being 
close  at  hand,  the  buck  was  deposited  in  my  larder,  and 
I  once  more  rode  forth. 

After  proceeding  many  miles  along  the  borders  of  the 
river,  on  emerging  into  an  open  space  running  parallel 
with  the  stream,  I  came  upon  large  herds  of  pallahs, 
blue  wildebeests,  zebras,  and,  to  my  utter  astonish- 
ment, a  herd  of  about  ten  bull  elands.  I  was  not  aware 
that  they  were  met  Vv'ith  in  these  parts.  I  gave  chase, 
and  soon  selected  the  best  bull  in  the  herd,  a  ponder- 
ous gray  old  fellow ;  he  began  at  once  to  trot,  though 
all  the  rest  were  still  at  a  gallop.  After  a  sharp  ride 
of  a  few  miles  I  turned  this  eland,  and  brought  him 
back  close  on  the  river,  when  I  shot  him  in  the  shoul- 
der, holding  out  my  rifle  with  one  hand  like  a  pistol. 
I  then  rode  back  to  seek  my  wagons,  which  I  failed  to 
find,  they  not  having  come  on  as  I  had  ordered.  I  fan- 
cied that  the  natives  had  led  them  some  short  cut,  and 
that  the  river  might  have  a  great  bend;  so,  being  faint 
and  hungry,  I  rode  back  to  the  eland,  where  I  had  left 
my  Bushman,  kindled  a  fire,  and  roasted  and  ate  flesh 
and  liver  of  the  eland.  As  night  was  coming  on,  I 
skinned  his  side  which  lay  uppermost  that  I  might  have 
some  covering,  as  I  had  neither  coat  nor  waistcoat. 
When,  however,  the  sun  went  down,  signal  shots  dis- 
closed to  me  the  position  of  the  wagons  ;  they  had  como 
oit  within  half  a  mile  of  where  the  eland  died. 

On  the  21st  I  rode  some  distance  down  the  river 
with  Ruyter  in  quest  of  sea-cow  and  serolomootloo- 
ques  ;  we  found  fresh  spoor  of  the  former,  and  I  shot 
one  doe  of  the  latter.  Ruyter  drove  her  up  to  me  by 
beating  the  reeds  ;  he  also  started  a  fine  old  buck,  which 


148  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

did  not  break  cover.  As  I  rode  along  I  saw  six  croco- 
diles and  a  great  nunnber  of  monkeys  of  two  varieties  ; 
also  several  deadly  serpents,  one  of  them  a  cobra,  very 
similar  to  the  Indian  cobra.  Bees  were  very  abundant 
along  the  Limpopo,  the  gigantic  old  hollow  trees  afford- 
ing them  abundant  homes.  My  natives  brought  me 
some  fine  honey  while  I  was  taking  my  breakfast ;  they 
found  it  in  an  old  ant-hill.  I  was  astonished  to  observe 
along  the  banks  of  the  river  enormous  trees,  from  three 
to  four  feet  in  diameter,  cut  down  by  the  Bakalahari 
only  for  the  sake  of  the  honey  which  they  contain.  The 
Bakalahari  fell  them  with  immense  trouble  and  per- 
severance, with  little  tomahawks  of  their  own  formation. 

The  ant-hills  along  the  Limpopo  and  throughout  this 
part  of  Africa  arc  truly  wonderful ;  it  is  common  to  see 
them  upward  of  twenty  feet  high  and  one  hundred  feet 
in  circumference.  They  are  composed  of  clay,  which 
hardens  in  the  sun  like  a  brick  ;  they  have  generally 
one  tall  tapering  spire  in  the  middle  of  the  fabric,  the 
base  of  the  spire  being  surrounded  with  similar  projec- 
tions of  smaller  height.  The  natives  informed  me  that 
we  were  opposite  to  the  tribe  Seleka,  whom  they  tried 
to  persuade  me  to  visit,  but  I  resolved  to  stick  to  the 
Limpopo. 

On  the  22d  we  came  upon  the  Macoolvvey,  a  large, 
clear  running  river,  joining  the  Limpopo  from  the  south- 
east :  here  I  bagged  a  princely  water-buck. 

At  dawn  of  the  succeeding  day  I  rode  forth  to  try  to 
cross  the  Limpopo  and  hunt  for  serolomootlooques,  but 
failed  to  find  a  drift.  I  then  rode  some  distance  along 
the  bank  of.  the  Macoolwey  seeking  a  passage ;  but  I 
was  still  unsuccessful.  I  then  retraced  my  steps  to  the 
Limpopo,  determined  to  get  through,  cost  what  it  might, 
as  the  banks  looked  very  promising  for  serolomootlou- 


A    ROCK    3ERPEXT    SHOT.  149 

ques.  I  discovered  a  drift,  but  deep.  I  relumed  to 
camp  for  fresh  horses,  and  rode  forth  with  two  after- 
riders,  and  a  pack-horse  carrying  bedding,  as  I  had  re- 
solved to  hunt  for  serolomootlooques  over  the  river  for  a 
couple  of  days.  We  got  safely  through,  and  held  up 
the  stream.  I  sought  every  turn  of  the  water  on  foot, 
the  boys  leading  my  horse,  but  failed  to  fall  in  with  a 
buck  serolomootlooque.  I  therefore  retraced  my  steps 
down  the  river  to  a  spot  where  buffaloes  had  drunk  on 
the  preceding  evening,  and  there  spent  the  night. 

In  the  morning  I  rode  down  to  a  likely  cover  for  se- 
rolomootlooques opposite  the  drift.  Here  I  started  one 
old  buck,  but  did  not  fire  ;  he  went  off  barking  exactly 
like  a  roebuck,  which  they  very  much  resemble  in  form, 
gait,  voice,  and  habit.  Following  on  after  this  buck,  I 
started  two  does,  one  of  which  I  shot.  Here  I  left  one 
of  my  after-riders  with  two  of  the  steeds,  while  I  and 
Ruyter  rode  down  the  bank  of  the  Limpopo  to  explore. 
I  found  the  river  wearing  quite  a  different  appearance 
below  its  junction,  being  very  much  broader — nearly 
as  large,  indeed,  as  the  Orange  River.  Crocodiles  of 
enormous  size  were  to  be  seen  at  every  turn,  and  I  shot 
four  huge  fellows.  We  then  fell  in  with  a  large  rock 
serpent,  or  "  metsapallah,"  about  eleven  feet  long,  which 
T  shot  with  a  hall  through  the  head,  and  brought  to 
camp  slung  round  my  neck. 

Havir  g  resolved  over  night  to  rob  a  colony  of  bees 
of  their  precious  stores,  and  to  try  for  the  old  serolo- 
mootlooque at  the  drift,  I  started  on  the  25th  at  day- 
dawn,  with  two  after-riders,  one  of  them  carrying  a 
large  tin  pail  for  the  expected  iioney.  After  crossing 
the  river  I  stalked  carefully  through  the  cover  where 
the  serolomootlooque  dwelt.  I  started  him  and  another 
iHick,  but  failed  to  obtain  a  shot.    I  then  sent  my  after. 


150  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

riders  to  beat  up  the  cover,  and  they  started  them  two 
or  three  times,  but  I  was  still  unsuccessful.  We  now 
started  for  the  bees'  nest,  which  was  in  an  old  hollow 
tree.  I  kindled  a  large  fire  in  front  of  the  hole,  and, 
having  smoked  them  with  dry  grass,  took  out  the  honey, 
which  was  excellent.  I  got,  however,  about  fifty  stings 
on  my  hands  and  arms.  In  the  afternoon  I  inspanned, 
and  crossed  the  Macoolwey  a  few  miles  above  its  junc- 
tion with  the  Limpopo.  The  natives  again  tried  hard 
to  lead  me  to  Selelca,  but  I  would  not  yet  leave  the 
Limpopo,  and  accordingly  sheered  off  to  its  banks, 
which  I  reached  by  bright  moonlight.  Here  we  heard 
hippopotami  snorting  in  the  river,  and  lions  roared 
near  us  all  night  long.  Next  day  I  had  the  luck  to 
shoot  two  very  fine  old  buck  serolomootlooques. 

On  the  27th  I  rode  down  the  river  at  dawn  of  day, 
and  ordered  my  wagons  to  follow  in  two  hours.  While 
riding  along  the  river's  bank,  some  distance  beyond  the 
limits  of  yesterday's  ride,  opposite  to  a  broad  sand-bank 
densely  covered  with  reeds,  I  heard  a  loud  plunge,  which 
was  immediately  followed  by  the  welcome  blowing 
sound  of  sea-cows.  I  instantly  divested  myself  of  my 
leather  trowsers,  and  went  down  into  the  reeds,  where 
I  came  suddenly  upon  a  crocodile  of  average  size,  lying 
in  a  shallow  back  stream  ;  and  on  his  attempting  to 
gain  the  main  river,  I  shot  him  with  a  bullet  in  the 
shoulder :  he  lay  dead  on  the  spot.  This  was  the  first 
crocodile  which  I  had  managed  to  lay  my  han  Is  upon, 
although  I  had  shot  many.  The  sound  of  my  rifle 
alarmed  the  sea-cows  ;  some  took  up,  and  some  down 
the  river.  I  was  unfortunate  with  them,  shooting  two 
and  losing  them  both.  As  I  was  seeking  the  wounded 
hippopotami,  my  wagons  came  up.  Soon  after  break- 
fast, the  chief  Seleka,  with  a  number  of  his  aristocracy, 


SEA-COW    SHOOTING.  151 

paid  me  a  visit ;  and  in  the  afternoon  I  rode  down  the 
river,  ordering  my  wagons  to  follow,  and  found  the 
fresh  spoor  of  a  mighty  old  bull  elephant. 

I  rode  fortli  at  sunrise  on  the  2Sth,  ordering  my 
wagons  to  follow  in  two  hours.  Seleka  had  sent  men 
down  the  river,  before  it  was  clear,  to  seek  sea-cows  ; 
and  they  soon  came  running  after  me  to  say  that  they 
had  found  some.  I  accordingly  followed  them  to  the 
river,  where,  in  a  long,  broad,  and  deep  bend,  were  four 
hippopotami,  two  full-grown  cows,  a  small  cow,  and 
a  calf.  At  the  tail  of  this  pool  was  a  strong  and  rapid 
stream,  which  thundered  along  in  Highland  fashion 
over  large  masses  of  dark  rock. 

On  coming  to  the  shady  bank,  I  could  at  first  only 
see  one  old  cow  and  calf.  When  they  dived  I  ran  into 
the  reeds,  and  as  the  cow  came  up  I  shot  her  in  the 
head  ;  she,  however,  got  away  down  the  river,  and  I  lost 
her.  The  other  three  took  away  up  the  river,  and  be- 
came very  shy,  remaining  under  the  water  for  five  min- 
utes at  a  time,  and  then  only  popping  their  heads  up 
for  a  few  seconds.  I  accordingly  remained  quiet  be- 
hind the  reeds,  in  hope  of  their  dismissing  their  alarms. 
Presently  the  two  smaller  ones  seemed  to  be  no  longer 
alarmed,  popping  up  their  entire  heads,  and  remaining 
above  water  for  a  minute  at  a  time  ;  but  the  third, 
which  was  by  far  the  largest,  and  which  I  thought  must 
be  a  bull,  continued  extremely  shy,  remaining  under 
the  water  for  ten  minutes  at  a  time,  and  then  just 
showing  her  face  for  a  second,  making  a  blowing  like 
a  whale,  and  returning  to  the  bottom.  I  stood  there 
with  ride  at  my  shoulder,  and  my  eye  on  the  sight,  un- 
til I  was  quite  tired.  I  thought  I  should  never  get  a 
chance  at  her,  and  had  just  resolved  to  fire  at  one  of 
the  smaller  ones,  when  she  shoved  up  half  her  head  and 


152  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH  AFRICA. 

looked  about  her.  I  made  a  correct  shot ;  the  ball  crack- 
ed loudly  below  her  ear,  and  the  huge  body  of  the  sea- 
cow  came  floundering  to  the  top.  I  was  enchanted ; 
she  could  not  escape.  Though  not  dead,  she  had  lost 
her  senses,  and  continued  swimming  round  and  round, 
sometimes  beneath  and  sometimes  at  the  surface  of  the 
water,  creating  a  fearful  commotion. 

Hearing  my  wagons  coming  on,  I  sent  a  message  to 
my  followers  to  outspan,  and  to  come  and  behold  Be- 
hemoth floundering  in  her  native  element.  When  they 
came  up  I  finished  her  with  a  shot  in  the  neck,  upon 
which  she  instantly  sank  to  the  bottom,  and  disappear- 
ed in  the  strong  rapid  torrent  at  the  tail  of  the  sea- 
cow  hole.  There  she  remained  for  a  long  time,  and  I 
thought  that  I  had  lost  her,  but  the  natives  said  that 
she  would  soon  reappear.  Being  in  want  of  refresh- 
ment, I  left  my  people  to  watch  for  the  resurrection  of 
Behemoth,  and  I  held  to  the  wagons  to  feed.  While 
taking  my  breakfast,  there  was  a  loud  hue  and  cry 
among  the  natives  that  the  kooboo  had  floated  and  was 
sailing  down  the  river.  It  was  so,  and  my  Hotten- 
tots swam  in  and  brought  her  to  the  bank.  Her  flesh 
proved  most  excellent.  In  the  afternoon  I  rode  down 
the  river  accompanied  by  Ruyter,  and  shot  one  very 
splendid  old  water-buck,  with  a  princely  head,  which 
I  kej)t. 

The  next  day,  after  proceeding  a  few  miles,  I  killed 
a  very  fine  buck  of  the  serolomootlooque.  I  again  rode 
down  the  river's  bank,  with  two  after-riders,  to  seek 
hippopotami,  the  natives  reporting  that  they  were  to 
be  found  in  a  pool  in  advance,  wher-'.  another  river  join- 
ed the  Limpopo.  After  riding  a  shurt  distance,  I  found 
the  banks  unusually  green  and  shady,  and  very  much 
frequented  by  the  sea-cow ;  and  presently,  in  a  broad, 


SEA-COW    SHOOTING.  153 

ieep,  and  long  still  bend  of  the  river,  I  disturbed  the 
game  I  sought. 

They  were  lying  in  their  sandy  beds  among  the  rank 
reeds  at  the  river's  margin,  and  on  hearing  me  gallop- 
ing over  the  gravelly  shingle  between  the  bank  and  the 
reeds,  the  deposit  of  some  great  flood,  they  plunged  into 
their  native  strong-hold  in  dire  alarm,  and  commenced 
blowing,  snorting,  and  uttering  a  sound  very  similar  to 
that  made  by  the  musical  instrument  called  a  serpent. 
It  was  a  fairish  place  for  an  attack  ;  so,  divesting  my- 
self of  my  leather  trowsers,  I  ordered  my  after-riders 
to  remain  utterly  silent,  and  then  crept  cautiously  for- 
ward, determined  not  to  fire  a  shot  until  I  had  thor- 
oughly overhauled  the  herd  to  see  if  it  did  not  contain 
a  bull,  and  at  all  events  to  secure,  if  possible,  the  very 
finest  head  among  them. 

The  herd  consisted  of  about  fourteen  hippopotami ; 
ten  of  these  were  a  little  further  down  the  stream  than 
the  other  four.  Having  carefully  examined  these  ten, 
I  made  out  two  particular  hippopotami  decidedly  larg- 
er than  all  the  others.  I  then  crept  a  little  distance 
up  the  river  behind  the  reeds,  to  obtain  a  view  of  the 
others.  They  were  two  enormous  old  cows,  with  two 
large  calves  beside  them.  The  old  ones  had  exactly 
the  same  size  of  head  as  the  two  best  cows  below  ;  I 
accordingly  chose  what  I  thought  the  best  of  these  two, 
and,  making  a  fine  shot  at  the  side  of  her  head,  at  once 
disabled  her.  She  disappeared  for  a  few  seconds,  and 
then  came  floundering  to  the  surface,  and  continued 
swimming  round  and  round,  sometimes  diving,  and 
then  reappearing  with  a  loud  splash  and  a  blowing 
noise,  always  getting  slowly  down  the  river,  until  I  re- 
attacked  and  finished  her  a  quarter  of  a  mile  further 
down,  about  an  hour  after.     The  other  sea-cows  wero 

G2 


154  AD"VENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

now  greatly  alarmed,  and  on'y  occasionally  put  up  their 
heads,  showing  but  a  small  part,  remaining  but  a  few 
seconds  at  a  time.  I,  however,  managed  to  select  one 
of  the  three  remaining  ones,  and,  making  a  most  per- 
fect shot,  sent  a  bullet  crashing  into  her  brain.  This 
caused  instantaneous  death,  and  she  sank  to  the  bot- 
tom. I  then  wounded  two  more  sea-cows  in  the  head, 
both  of  which  I  lost.  The  others  were  so  alarmed  and 
cunning  that  it  was  impossible  to  do  any  thing  with  them. 
The  one  I  had  first  shot  was  now  resting  with  half 
her  body  above  water  on  a  sand-bank  in  the  Limpopo, 
at  the  mouth  of  the  other  river  Lepalala,  which  was 
broad,  clear,  and  rapid.  From  this  resting-place  I  start- 
ed her  with  one  shot  in  the  shoulder  and  another  in  the 
side  of  the  head ;  this  last  shot  set  her  in  motion  once 
more,  and  she  commenced  struggling  in  the  water  in 
the  most  extraordinary  manner,  disappearing  for  a  few 
seconds,  and  then  coming  up  like  a  great  whale,  setting 
the  whole  river  in  an  uproar.  Presently  she  took  away 
down  the  stream,  holding  to  the  other  side  ;  but,  again 
returning,  I  finished  her  with  a  shot  in  the  middle  of 
the  forehead.  This  proved  a  most  magnificent  speci- 
men of  the  female  of  the  wondrous  hippopotamus,  an 
animal  with  which  I  was  extremely  surprised  and  de- 
lighted. She  far  surpassed  the  brightest  conceptions  I 
had  formed  of  her,  being  a  larger,  a  more  lively,  and  in 
every  way  a  more  interesting  animal  than  certain  writ- 
ers had  led  me  to  expect.  On  securing  this  fine  sea- 
cow,  I  immediately  cut  off  her  head  and  placed  it  high 
and  dry  :  this  was  a  work  of  considerable  difficulty  for 
four  men.  We  left  her  body  in  the  water,  being,  of 
course,  unable  to  do  any  thing  with  it  there.  It  was 
well  I  secured  the  head  when  I  did,  for  next  morning 
the  crocodiles  had  dragged  her  away. 


TWO    HUGE    SEA-COWS    BAGGED.  155 

I  held  up  the  river  to  see  what  the  other  sea-cows  wero 
doing,  when,  to  my  particular  satisfaction,  I  beheld  the 
body  of  the  other  huge  sea-cow  which  I  had  shot  in 
the  brain  floating  in  the  pool  where  I  had  shot  her,  and 
stationary  within  about  twenty  yards  of  the  other  side. 
I  then  held  down  the  river  to  the  tail  of  the  pool,  where 
the  stream  was  broad  and  rapid,  and  less  likely  to  hold 
crocodiles,  and  here,  altliough  cold  and  worn  out,  I 
swam  across  to  secure  my  game.  The  wagons  now 
came  up,  and  two  of  my  Hottentots  swam  over  to  my 
assistance  ;  but,  just  as  we  were  going  in  to  secure  the 
sea-cow,  she  became  disengaged  from  the  invisible  fet- 
ters that  had  held  her,  and  which  turned  out  to  be  the 
branch  of  a  gigantic  old  tree  that  some  flood  had  lodged 
in  the  bottom  of  the  pool.  The  sea-cow  now  floated 
down  the  middle  of  the  river  ;  when  she  neared  the  tail 
of  the  pool,  we  swam  in  and  inclined  her  course  to  shore, 
and  stranded  her  on  a  fine  gravel  bank. 

This  truly  magnificent  specimen  was  just  about  the 
same  size  as  the  first,  and  apparently  older,  but  her 
teeth  were  not  quite  so  thick.  Ordering  the  natives  at 
once  to  cut  off  her  huge  head,  and  having  seen  it  de- 
posited safely  on  the  bank  along  with  that  of  her  com- 
rade, I  held  for  my  wagons,  having  to  cross  the  Lepa- 
lala  to  reach  them.  I  was  very  cold  and  worn  out,  hut 
most  highly  gratified  at  my  good  fortune  in  first  kill- 
ing, and  then  in  securing,  t'YO  out  of  the  four  best  sea- 
cows  in  a  herd  of  fourteen. 


loC  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Seleka's  Town  among  the  Rocks  —  Elephant  hunting  with  Seleka  and 
his  Men — Trading  with  Seleka — A  Lion  and  Lioness  with  tlieir  Cuba 
— An  immense  Herd  of  Hippopotami  —  Nine  of  them  killed  —  Trap 
for  inflicting  poisoned  Wounds  on  Sea-cows — We  cross  the  Limpopo, 
and  a  Wagon  sticks  in  the  River — We  trek  down  the  Stream — Two 
of  my  best  Horses  killed  and  eaten  by  Lions — The  Chief  of  the  Ba 
malette  visits  me  —  Audacity  of  the  Lions  —  A  Horse  killed  in  a  Pit 
fall — A  Chief  flogged  for  catching  and  consuming  a  Horse. 

On  the  1st  of  July  I  inspanned  at  sunrise  and  march- 
ed to  the  town  of  the  Baseleka,  which  I  reached  in  about 
four  hours,  having  crossed  the  Lepalala  on  the  way.  I 
outspanned  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  Seleka's  town 
is  built  on  the  top  and  sides  of  a  steep  and  precipitous 
white  quartz  rock,  which  rises  abruptly,  and  forms  a 
very  remarkable  feature  in  the  green  forest  scenery 
which  surrounds  it.  In  the  evening  Seleka  brought 
down  four  fairish  bull  elephant's  teeth,  which  I  bought 
for  four  muskets. 

On  the  morrow  I  took  an  early  breakfast,  and  then 
held  east  with  Seleka  and  about  a  hundred  and  fifty 
of  his  men  to  seek  elephants,  they  having  heard  from 
the  Bakalahari  of  the  position  of  a  troop  of  bulls.  This 
day  I  might  reckon  as  the  beginning  of  my  elephant 
hunting  this  season.  As  the  country  appeared  to  me 
well  adapted  for  the  sport,  and  as  I  regretted  not  a  little 
that  my  men  and  a  good  stud  of  horses  should  be  idle 
at  the  wagons  while  they  might  be  bringing  me  in  fifty 
pounds  once  or  twice  a  week,  I  armed  and  mounted 
John  Stofolus  and  Carey,  both  of  whom  vaunted  much 


ELEPHANT    HUNTING.  157 

of  their  courage  and  skill.  I  instructed  them,  in  the 
event  of  our  finding,  to  select  a  good  elepliant,  and,  if 
not  able  to  kill  him,  at  least  to  hold  him  in  view  until 
I  had  finished  mine,  which  I  promised  to  do  as  quickly 
as  possible,  and  then  to  come  to  their  assistance. 

We  had  not  proceeded  far  from  the  white  rock  when 
we  entered  a  forest  frequented  by  elephants,  and  we  very 
soon  came  upon  the  fresh  spoor  of  a  troop  of  about  ten 
fine  bulls.  The  spooring  was  conducted  very  properly, 
the  old  chief  taking  the  greatest  care  of  the  wind,  keep- 
ing his  followers  far  back,  and  maintaining  silence,  ex- 
tending pickets  in  advance,  and  to  the  right  and  left, 
and  ordering  them  to  ascend  to  the  summits  of  the 
tallest  trees  to  obtain  a  correct  view  of  the  surround- 
ing forest.  Presently  the  mighty  game  was  detected. 
Old  Schwartland  was  led  alongside  of  me,  and  my  dogs 
were  all  in  couples,  eight  in  number.  I  quickly  mount- 
ed, and,  riding  slowly  forward,  obtained  a  blink  of  one 
of  the  elephants.  I  called  to  the  natives  to  slip  the 
dogs,  and  then  dashed  forward  for  a  selection.  I  chose 
the  last,  and  gave  him  a  shot  as  he  passed  me ;  and 
then,  riding  hard  under  his  stern,  I  yelled  like  a  demon 
to  clear  him  from  his  comrades  and  to  bring  the  dogs 
to  my  assistance.  The  dogs  came  as  T  expected  to  my 
elephant,  and  I  shot  him  from  the  saddle  in  a  business- 
like style,  loading  and  firing  with  great  rapidity;  he 
took  from  fifteen  to  twenty  shots  before  he  fell.  All 
this  time  I  listened  in  vain  for  shots  from  John  or  Carey. 
The  former  did  not  even  consider  himself  safe  in  the 
same  forest  with  the  elephants,  and  had  slunk  away 
from  Carey  while  in  sight  of  a  splendid  bull;  nor  did 
we  hear  more  of  him  that  day.  Carey  did  but  little 
better,  for  he  lost  his  elephant  immediately,  oae  charge 
being  sufficient. 


158  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH  AFRICA. 

The  natives  were  now  fighting  with  an  immense  old 
Dull:  hearing  them,  I  rode  in  their  direction,  and  came 
upon  Carey  stationary  in  the  forest.  Here  the  dogs 
took  up  the  scent  of  an  elephant,  and  I  followed  them, 
but  they  eventually  dropped  it.  I  then  tried  to  retrace 
my  steps  to  the  dead  elephant,  which  I  did  by  chance, 
having  lost  my  way  in  the  level  boundless  jungle  and 
wandered  far.  I  found  a  few  natives,  who  reported 
their  captain  and  most  of  his  men  to  be  still  engaged 
with  the  elephant,  and  they  said  that  Carey  had  joined 
them  in  the  chase.  I  ofF-saddled  for  a  little,  but,  hear- 
ing the  cries  of  the  natives  in  the  distance,  I  saddled 
old  Schwartland,  and  rode  onward  till  I  found  the  na- 
tives and  Carey  quite  done  up,  and  on  the  point  of 
dropping  the  game.  The  elephant,  although  red  with 
blood,  and  resembling  a  porcupine  by  the  number  of 
the  assagais,  was  little  the  worse  for  all  that  he  had  re- 
ceived. I  then  attacked  him,  and,  with  eight  or  ten 
shots,  ended  his  career. 

Next  morning,  Bakalahari  coming  up  and  reporting 
to  have  heard  elephants  during  the  night,  old  Seleka 
and  I  went  in  quest  of  them.  We  were  joined  by  the 
gallant  and  vaunting  John  Stofolus,  who  had  slept  at 
the  wagons,  and  swore  that  he  had  lost  his  way  in  a 
long  chase  after  an  elephant.  Both  he  and  Carey  ex- 
pressing regret  for  their  previous  mismanagement,  and 
vowing  to  prove  themselves  men  this  day,  I  allowed 
them  to  accompany  me.  We  soon  took  up  the  spoor 
of  one  old  bull,  which  led  us  into  a  forest  thoroughly 
plowed  up  and  broken  with  bull  elephants.  Here  this 
fine  fellow  joined  a  glorious  squadron  of  from  twenty  to 
thirty  mighty  bulls.  When  we  discovered  their  position 
I  dashed  forward,  shouting  to  the  dogs,  and  was  instant- 
ly in  the  middle  of  them.     Then  followed  a  wondrous 


A    MIGHTY    BULL    ELEPHANT    SHOT.  159 

scene.  The  elephants,  panic-stricken,  charged  forward, 
leveling  the  forest  before  them,  trumpeting,  with  trunks 
and  tails  aloft,  as  the  dogs  mingled  with  them. 

Looking  back  over  my  shoulder,  I  beheld  elephants 
come  crashing  on  behind  and  within  a  few  yards  of  me. 
I  then  pressed  forward,  overtook  about  ten  bulls  that 
were  inclining  to  the  west,  rode  under  their  sterns,  chose 
the  best,  and,  yelling  at  the  top  of  my  voice,  separated 
him  from  his  comrades,  and  brought  my  dogs  to  my 
assistance.  In  a  few  minutes  he  had  many  mortal 
wounds.  Not  hearing  my  trusty  John  and  Carey  fire, 
and  the  elephant's  course  being  right  toward  camp,  I 
ceased  firing  and  drove  him  on  before  me.  Presently 
these  worthies  came  up  to  me,  having  been  after  a  most 
splendid  bull — the  cock  of  the  troop — which  I,  in  my 
haste,  had  ridden  by.  They  had  fired  two  or  three  shots, 
and  then  left  him.  I  now  saw  that  all  my  hunting  this 
season  must  depend  on  my  own  single  hand,  as  my  fol- 
lowers, instead  of  a  help,  were  a  very  great  hinderance 
and  annoyance  to  me.  If  I  had  been  alone  that  day  I 
should  most  certainly  have  taken  more  time,  and  have 
selected  the  elephant  they  had  lost,  which  the  natives 
said  carried  extremely  large  and  long  teeth.  Presently, 
my  elephant  declining  to  proceed  further,  and  becom- 
ing extremely  wicked,  I  recommenced  firing,  and  at 
last  he  fell,  having  received  twenty-nine  balls,  twenty- 
seven  of  these  being  in  a  very  correct  part.  This  was 
an  enormous,  first-rate  bull ;  but  his  teeth,  though  large, 
being  not  the  best  in  the  troop,  I  felt  very  much  dis- 
satisfied. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  5th  I  traded  with  Seleka  for 
karosses  of  pallah's  skin  and  tusks  of  elephants,  and  in 
the  evening  I  walked  up  to  inspect  the  town,  and  climb- 
ed to  the  summit  of  the  quartz  rock  on  which  the  cita- 


160  ADVENTURES   IN    SOUTH   AFRICA.  , 

del  of  Seleka  is  situated.  Here  I  viewed  the  surround- 
ing country ;  chains  of  mountains  of  moderate  height 
shot  above  the  level  forest  in  every  direction,  but  mostly 
to  the  east  and  south. 

The  next  day,  after  breakfast,  I  saddled  up  steeds  and 
took  the  field  for  elephants,  accompanied  by  two  after- 
riders.  We  were  soon  joined  by  the  greater  part  of  the 
Seleka  tribe,  and  held  about  south,  following  the  bank 
of  the  River  Lepalala,  which  we  eventually  crossed. 
Having  proceeded  some  distance  through  a  tract  but 
little  frequented  by  elephants,  men  who  had  been  sent 
to  seek  in  a  southwesterly  direction  came  and  reported 
that  they  had  found.  We  then  held  at  once  for  a  steep 
and  very  rocky  hill  which  rose  abruptly  in  the  forest, 
and  on  the  west  side  of  which  the  elephants  had  been 
seen.  We  had  ascended  about  half  way  up  this  hill, 
the  natives  following  on  in  a  long  string  and  detached 
parties,  when  we  discovered  that  we  had  nearly  hem- 
med in  a  huge  and  most  daring  old  lion,  with  his  part- 
ner and  a  troop  of  very  small  cubs.  I  had  passed  him 
within  about  sixty  yards,  and  was  a  little  above  him 
on  the  hill  before  I  was  aware  of  his  presence.  He 
gave  us  notice  of  his  proximity  by  loud  and  continued 
growling,  advancing  boldly  with  open  jaws  toward  the 
natives.  These  fled  before  him;  and  the  lioness  hav- 
ing now  shrunk  away  with  her  cubs,  and  some  of  our 
dogs  having  attacked  him,  he  turned  right  about  and 
followed  slowly  after  his  mate,  growling  fearfully. 

We  feared  that  all  this  noise  might  have  started  the 
elephants:  when,  however,  we  had  gained  a  command- 
ing point  on  the  shoulder  of  the  hill,  we  could  see  them 
standing  in  a  thick  low  forest  a  short  distance  from  the 
base  of  the  hill:  it  was  a  troop  of  very  middling  cow 
elephants,  with  a  number  of  calves  of  all  sizes.     About 


ELEPHANT    SHOOTING.  161 

half  a  mile  to  the  north  we  could  see  another  troop  of 
cows.  I  wished  to  attack  these,  but  the  natives  pre- 
vailed upon  me  to  attack  the  nearest  troop.  Leaving 
the  greater  part  of  the  natives  to  watch  our  movements 
from  this  elevated  position,  I  descended  the  hill  and 
held  for  the  mighty  game.  I  felt  rather  nervous  on  this 
occasion.  I  was  not  in  good  health,  and  the  forest  here 
was  not  well  adapted  for  the  sport,  the  cover  being 
thick,  with  a  great  deal  of  bad  wait-a-bit  thorns.  When 
we  came  upon  the  troop  they  were  considerably  scat- 
tered, and  we  first  approached  two  very  indifferent 
cows,  which,  hearing  us,  instantly  retreated  into  the 
thick  cover.  I  would  not  follow  these,  but  at  once  slip- 
ped my  dogs  in  the  hope  that  they  would  find  me  better 
elephants.  The  dogs  then  ran  forward  in  different  di- 
rections,  and  immediately  a  loud  trumpeting  followed 
from  three  detachments  of  cows.  Galloping  forward, 
I  obtained  a  view  of  them  all.  There  was  but  one 
right  good  cow  in  the  troop:  she  brought  up  the  rear 
of  a  detachment  which  came  crashing  past  on  my  right, 
making  for  the  densest  cover  round  the  base  of  the  hill. 
This  cow  carried  two  fine  long  white  tusks,  one  of  them 
with  a  very  fine  sharp  point.  On  attacking  her  she  at 
once  separated  from  her  comrades,  and  every  one  of 
my  dogs  took,  as  is  usual,  away  after  the  calves.  I 
galloped  up  alongside  and  very  near  this  cow,  and,  firing 
from  the  saddle,  bowled  her  over  with  a  single  ball  be- 
hind the  shoulder. 

On  the  11th  we  marched  at  dawn  of  day,  holding 
northeast,  and  halted  on  the  bank  of  the  Limpopo. 
There  the  wagons  remained,  while  I  hunted  tJK;  banivs 
of  the  river,  bagging  two  first-rate  bull  elephants  and 
one  hippopotamus.  One  of  these  elephants  I  shot  across 
the  Limpopo,  under  the  mountains  of  Guapa.    I  fought 


1G2  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

him  in  dense  wait-a-bit  jungle  from  half  past  eleven  till 
the  sun  was  under,  when  his  tough  old  spirit  fled,  and 
the  venerable  monarch  of  the  forest  fell,  pierced  with 
fifty-seven  balls.  On  the  17th  I  inspanned  and  trekked 
about  five  miles  down  the  stream,  when  I  halted  beside 
a  long,  deep  hippopotamus  hole,  in  which  were  two 
bulls  and  one  cow,  but  it  being  late  I  did  not  trouble 
them.  ■• 

The  next  day  I  rode  down  the  river  to  seek  sea-cows, 
accompanied  by  my  two  after-riders,  taking,  as  usual, 
my  double-barreled  rifles.  We  had  proceeded  about 
two  miles  when  we  came  upon  some  most  thoroughly- 
beaten,  old-established  hippopotamus  paths,  and  present- 
ly, in  a  broad,  long,  deep,  and  shaded  pool  of  the  river, 
we  heard  the  sea-cows  bellowing.  There  I  beheld  one 
of  the  most  wondrous  and  interesting  sights  that  a 
sportsman  can  be  blessed  with.  I  at  once  knew  that 
there  must  be  an  immense  herd  of  them,  for  the  voices 
came  from  different  parts  of  the  pool ;  so,  creeping  in 
through  the  bushes  to  obtain  an  inspection,  a  large 
sandy  island  appeared  at  the  neck  of  the  pool,  on  which 
stood  several  large  shady  trees. 

The  neck  of  the  pool  was  very  wide  and  shallow, 
with  rocks  and  large  stones ;  below  it  was  deep  and 
still.  On  a  sandy  promontory  of  this  island  stood  about 
thirty  cows  and  calves,  while  in  the  pool  opposite,  and 
a  little  below  them,  stood  about  twenty  more  sea-cows, 
with  their  heads  and  backs  above  water.  About  fifty 
yards  further  down  the  river  again,  showing  out  their 
heads,  were  eight  or  ten  immense  fellows,  which  I  think 
were  all  bulls  ;  and  about  one  hundred  yards  below 
these,  in  the  middle  of  the  stream,  stood  another  herd 
of  about  eight  or  ten  cows  with  calves,  and  two  huge 
bulls.     The  sea-cows  lay  close  together  like  pigs ;  a 


HIPPOPOTAMUS    SHOOTING.         ^  163 

favorite  position  was  to  rest  their  heads  on  their  com- 
rades' sterns  and  sides.  The  herds  were  attended  by 
an  immense  number  of  the  invariable  rhinoceros  birds, 
which,  on  observing  me,  did  their  best  to  spread  alarm 
throughout  the  hippopotami.  I  was  resolved  to  select, 
if  possible,  a  first-rato  old  bull  out  of  this  vast  herd,  and 
I  accordingly  delayed  firing  for  nearly  two  hours,  con- 
tinually running  up  and  down  behind  the  thick  thorny 
cover,  and  attentively  studying  the  heads.  At  length 
I  determined  to  go  close  in  and  select  the  best  head  out 
of  the  eight  or  ten  bulls  which  lay  below  the  cows.  I 
accordingly  left  the  cover  and  walked  slowly  forward 
in  full  view  of  the  whole  herd  to  the  water's  edge, 
where  I  lay  down  on  my  belly  and  studied  the  heads 
of  these  bulls.  The  cows,  on  seeing  me,  splashed  into 
the  water,  and  kept  up  a  continual  snorting  and  blow- 
ing till  night  set  in. 

After  selecting  for  a  few  minutes,  I  fired  my  first 
shot  at  a  splendid  bull,,  and  sent  the  ball  in  a  little  be- 
hind the  eye.  He  was  at  once  incapacitated,  and  kept 
plunging  and  swimming  round  and  round,  wearing 
away  down  the  pool,  until  I  finished  him  with  two 
more  shots.  The  whole  pool  was  now  in  a  state  of  in- 
tense commotion.  The  best  cows  and  the  bulls  at  once 
became  very  shy  and  cunning,  showing  only  the  flat 
roofs  of  their  heads,  and  sometimes  only  their  nostrils. 
The  younger  cows  were  not  so  shy,  producing  the 
whole  head  ;  and  if  had  wished  to  make  a  bag,  I  might 
nave  shot  an  immense  number.  This,  however,  was 
not  my  object ;  and  as  there  was  likely  to  be  a  diffi- 
culty in  securing  what  I  did  kill,  I  determined  only  to 
fire  at  the  very. best.  When,  therefore,  the  sun  went 
down,  I  had  not  fired  a  great  many  shots,  but  had 
bagged  five  first-rate  hippopotami,  four  cows  and  one 


164  ,  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

bull,  and  besides  these  there  were  three  or  four  more 
very  severely  wounded  which  were  spouting  blood 
throughout  the  pool. 

The  next  day  I  removed  my  wagons  to  the  bank 
where  I  had  waged  successfal  war  with  the  hippopot- 
ami. Here  we  iialted  beneath  a  shady  tree  with  a 
very  dark  green  leaf,  and  having  drawn  up  the  wagons, 
we  cast  loose  the  trek-tows,  and,  marching  the  two 
spans  of  oxen  down  to  the  edge  of  the  river,  dragged 
out  one  of  the  sea-cows  high  and  dry.  After  breakfast 
I  rode  down  the  river  with  Carey  to  seek  those  I  had 
wounded.  Having  ridden  about  three  miles  down  the 
river,  we  heard  sea-cows  snorting;  and  on  dismounting 
from  my  horse  and  creeping  in  through  very  dense 
thorny  cover  which  here  clothed  the  banks,  I  found  a 
very  fine  herd  of  about  thirty  hippopotami  basking  in 
the  sun  ;  they  lay  upon  a  sand-bank  in  the  middle  of 
the  river,  in  about  three  feet  of  water.  After  taking  a 
long  time  to  make  a  selection,  I  opened  my  fire  and 
discharged  my  four  barrels  :  one  sea-cow  lay  dead,  and 
two  others  were  stunned  and  took  to  the  other  side,  but 
eventually  recovered  and  were  not  numbered  with  the 
slain.  I  continued  with  them  till  sundown  and  fired  a 
good  many  shots,  but  only  bagged  one  other  cow:  they 
were  very  shy  and  cunning. 

On  the  20th  I  again  rode  down  the  river  to  the  pool, 
and  found  a  herd  of  sea-cows  still  there  ;  so  I  remained 
with  them  till  sundown,  and  bagged  two  very  first-rate 
old  sea-cows,  which  were  forthcoming  next  day.  This 
day  I  detected  a  most  dangerous  trap  constructed  by 
the  Bakalahari  for  slaying  sea-cows.  It  consisted  of  a 
sharp  little  assagai  or  spike  most  thoroughly  poisoned, 
and  stuck  firmly  into  the  end  of  a  heavy  block  of  thorn- 
v.'ood  about  four  feet  Ions  and  five  inches  in  diameter. 


SEA-COW    TRAPS.  -  165 

This  formidable  affair  was  suspended  over  tlie  center  of 
a  sea-cow  path,  at  a  height  of  about  thirty  feet  from 
the  ground,  by  a  baik  cord  which  passed  over  a  high 
branch  of  a  tree,  and  thence  to  a  peg  on  one  side  of  the 
path  beneath,  leading  across  the  path  to  a  peg  on  the 
other  side,  where  it  was  fastened.  To  the  suspending 
cord  were  two  triggers  so  constructed  that,  when  the 
sea-cow  struck  against  the  cord  which  led  across  the 
path,  the  heavy  block  above  was  set  at  liberty,  which 
instantly  dropped  with  immense  force  with  its  poison- 
ous dart,  inflicting  a  sure  and  mortal  wound.  The 
bones  and  old  teeth  of  sea-cows  which  lay  rotting  along 
the  bank  of  the  river  here  evinced  the  success  of  this 
dangerous  invention.  I  remained  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  pool  for  several  days,  during  which  time  I  bagged 
no  less  than  fifteen  first-rate  hippopotami,  the  greater 
portion  of  them  being  bulls. 

At  dawn  of  day  on  the  28th  we  inspanned  and 
marched  up  the  river  to  the  drift.  All  hands  worked 
hard  in  cutting  down  the  bank  on  the  opposite  side,  the 
Bakalahari  assisting  us  ;  and  in  the  afternoon  we  got 
the  cap-tent  wagon,  which  was  very  lightly  laden, 
through  the  river  with  twelve  oxen.  The  baggage- 
wagon  stuck  fast  in  the  mud,  and  remained  there  all 
night,  with  the  fore-wheels  half  way  up  the  bank,  and 
the  after-chest  under  the  water ;  and  although  we  put 
twenty  oxen  to  it,  we  could  not  get  it  out. 

The  next  day  our  first  work  was  to  reduce  the  bank 
on  which  the  wagon  stood,  after  which,  with  consid- 
erable difficulty,  we  got  it  out  with  twenty  of  my  best 
oxen.  The  whole  day  we  were  busy  drying  the  in- 
numerable contents  of  the  fore  and  after  chests  of  each 
wagon,  almost  every  thing  being  thoroughly  saturated, 
and  I  sustained  considerable  loss  in  fine  powder,  per- 


166  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

cussion  caps,  biscuit,  tea,  coffee,  sugar,  and  a  number 
of  other  articles,  some  of  which  were  damaged  and 
some  entirely  destroyed. 

I  marched  at  dawn  of  day  on  the  30th.  Seleka  and 
his  men  and  my  hired  Baquaines  had  done  all  in  their 
power  to  prevent  my  proceeding  further ;  but  as  they 
could  not  conceal  the  waters  from  me,  my  course  being 
to  follow  the  Limpopo,  I  was  perfectly  independent  of 
them.  They  remained  by  me  until  I  crossed  the  Lim- 
popo, and  then  all  turned  home.  I  was  now  once  more 
without  natives,  and  held  down  the  northwestern  bank 
of  the  river,  but  very  soon  Bakalahari  joined  us,  and 
their  numbers  increased  as  we  held  on.  I  had  the  good 
luck  this  day  to  bag  five  more  first-rate  hippopotami. 

The  next  day,  after  assisting  my  men  to  get  out 
some  of  the  sea-cows,  I  rode  down  the  river  with  two 
after-riders  to  explore.  Having  ridden  a  few  iniles,  ] 
came  upon  a  troop  of  twelve,  the  best  of  which  I  dis- 
abled and  killed  the  next  day.  This  was  a  most  splen- 
did old  cow,  and  carried  tusks  far  superior  to  any  we 
had  yet  seen ;  in  the  afternoon  I  bagged  six  more. 

From  a  continued  run  of  good  luck  in  all  my  hunt- 
ing expeditions  with  my  horses  and  oxen,  in  regard  to 
lions  and  Bakalahari  pitfalls,  I  had  become  foolishly 
careless  of  them,  and  I  had  got  into  a  most  dangerous 
custom  of  allowing  the  cattle  to  feed  about  the  wagons 
long  after  the  sun  was  under.  I  was  always  boasting 
of  my  good  luck,  and  used  to  say  that  the  lions  knew 
they  were  my  cattle,  and  feared  to  molest  them.  This 
night,  however,  a  bitter  lesson  was  in  store  for  me. 
The  sun,  as  usual,  had  been  under  an  hour  before  I 
ordered  my  men  to  make  fast  my  horses  :  the  oxen  had 
of  their  own  accord  come  to  the  wagons  and  lain  down ; 
the.  horses,  however,  were  not  forthcoming.     My  hired 


TWO    HORSES    KILLED    BY    LIONS.  167 

natives,  who  were  now  anxious  to  prevent  my  proceed- 
ing further  from  their  country,  were  willingly  neglect- 
ing their  charge,  and,  instead  of  looking  after  my  cat- 
tle, were  exchanging  the  flesh  and  fat  of  my  sea-cows 
for  assagais,  &c.,  with  the  Bakalahari.  The  night  was 
very  dark,  and  the  horses  were  sought  for  in  vain.  I 
remarked  to  Carey  that  it  was  some  time  since  we  had 
heard  the  voice  of  a  lion ;  but  a  few  minutes  after  we 
heard  the  low  moan  of  the  king  of  beasts  repeated  sev- 
eral times  at  no  great  distance,  and  in  the  very  direc- 
tion in  which  my  horses  were  supposed  to  be. 

The  next  day  the  sun  had  been  up  two  hours,  and 
my  horses  could  not  yet  be  found.  I  entertained  no 
apprehensions,  however,  from  the  lion,  but  rather  sus- 
pected some  plot  between  Seleka  and  my  natives  to 
drive  my  cattle  back,  and  so  force  me  to  retrace  my 
steps.  I  therefore  ordered  John  Stofolus  and  Hendric 
to  take  bridles  and  a  supply  of  meat,  and  to  follow  up 
the  spoor  wherever  it  might  lead  ;  and  being  anxious 
to  see  which  way  it  went,  I  took  a  rifle  and  followec 
in  quest  of  it  myself.  Observing  a  number  of  vul 
tures  to  the  west,  and  hearing  the  voices  of  natives  ir 
that  direction,  I  proceeded  thither  at  top  speed.  Tc 
my  utter  horror,  I  found  my  two  most  valuable  and 
especially  favorite  veteran  shooting-horses  lying  fear- 
fully mangled  and  half  consumed  by  a  troop  of  ruth- 
less lions.  They  were  "Black  Jock"  and  "  Schwart- 
land,"  the  former  a  first-rate  young  horse,  worth  £24, 
the  latter  aged,  but  by  far  my  most  valuable  steed, 
being  perhaps  the  best  shooting-horse  in  Southern  Af- 
rica ;  he  knew  no  fear,  and  would  approach  as  near  as 
I  chose  to  elephant  or  lion,  or  any  description  of  game. 
From  his  back  I  had  shot  nearly  all  my  elephants  last 
year  ;  and  so  fond  was  I  of  this  horse,  that  I  never  rode 


168  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

or  even  saddled  him  until  we  had  found  elephants, 
when  I  used  him  in  the  fight,  and  then  immediately 
off-saddled. 

With  a  sickening  heart  I  turned  from  this  most  pain- 
ful scene,  and,  utterly  dejected,  I  returned  to  camp.  As 
there  was  much  to  do  about  the  wagons,  and  as  two 
of  my  men  were  absent  seeking  the  lost  horses,  I  did 
not  immediately  go  in  quest  of  the  lions ;  this  I,  how- 
ever, did  in  the  afternoon,  taking  all  my  dogs,  but  I 
failed  to  find  them.  A  large  party  of  the  natives  from 
the  southwest,  the  Bamalette,  reached  me  late  in  the 
day  :  their  object  was  flesh,  and  to  endeavor  to  per- 
suade me  to  come  and  trade  with  them.  They  had 
fallen  in  with  three  of  my  steeds  ;  the  others  were 
found  by  my  men  near  the  drift  where  I  had  last  cross- 
ed the  river.  I  formed  a  very  strong  kraal  for  my  cat- 
tle, and  made  all  fast  at  sundown.  Very  soon  after, 
the  troop  of  lions  came  up  to  my  camp  on  the  spoor  of 
the  horses,  fancying  that  they  could  repeat  the  tragedy 
of  last  night ;  they  fought  with  my  dogs  in  the  most 
daring  manner,  off  and  on,  until  near  dawn  of  day, 
driving  them  in  to  the  fireside.  The  cattle  were  very 
restive,  and  nearly  broke  away,  but  the  kraal  was  good 
and  saved,  them. 

In  the  morning,  ordering  my  wagons  to  follow,  I  rode 
down  the  river,  followed  by  at  least  two  hundred  na- 
tives, to  secure  the  hippopotami  shot  two  days  previous 
Six  of  these  were  forthcoming,  and  we  set  about  get- 
ting them  to  the  side :  they  lay  upon  the  rocks  in  the 
middle  of  the  river.  One  of  these  proved  to  be  an  out- 
and-outer,  a  tearing  old  bull,  with  tusks  which  far  sur- 
passed any  thing  I  had  yet  seen,  and  quite  perfect;  I 
was  very  much  gratified  with  this  fine  trophy.  There 
were  also  two  of  the  cows  which  carried  immense  and 


A    CHIEF    FLOGGED.  1C9 

perfect  tusks.  When  the  wagons  came  up,  I  found 
myself  minus  another  steed :  a  fine  young  mare  had 
fallen  into  a  Bakalahari  pitfall,  and  had  been  suffocated. 

On  the  5th  I  rode  down  the  river  and  fell  in  with  a 
large  herd  of  about  thirty  hippopotami :  they  lay  upon 
some  rocks  in  the  middle  of  a  very  long  and  broad  pool. 
I  wounded  seven  or  eight  of  these  in  the  head,  and 
killed  two,  a  bull  and  a  cow,  both  of  which  we  found 
next  day.  At  night  the  lions  prowled  around  our  camp, 
and  fought  with  the  dogs  until  the  morning:  they  came 
boldly  in  between  the  fires  of  the  natives,  who  lay  around 
my  camp. 

The  next  day  I  ordered  my  wagons  to  come  on,  and 
rode  ahead  to  the  pool  where  I  had  last  shot.  When 
the  wagons  came  up,  I  detected  the  head  Bakalahari 
of  the  kraal  beside  which  my  mare  had  been  killed , 
he  was  talking  with  my  cattle  herds,  with  whom  he 
seemed  to  be  on  very  intimate  terms.  This  killing  of 
my  horse  was  either  intentional  or  most  culpably  care- 
less, as  the  pits  were  left  covered,  and  the  cattle  driven 
to  pasture  in  the  middle  of  them  ;  I  accordingly  deemed 
it  proper  that  this  man  should  be  made  an  example  of; 
so,  calling  to  my  English  servant,  Carey,  to  assist  me, 
we  each  seized  an  arm  of  the  guilty  chief,  and  I  then 
caused  Hendric  to  flog  him  with  a  sea-cow  jambok  ; 
after  which  I  admonished  him,  and  told  him  that  if  the 
holes  were  not  opened  in  future,  I  would  make  a  more 
severe  example  as  I  proceeded.  The  consequence  of 
this  salutary  admonition  was,  that  all  the  pitfalls  along 
the  river  were  thrown  open  in  advance  of  my  march,  a 
thing  which  I  had  never  before  seen'among  the  Bechu- 
ana  tribes.  In  the  afternoon  I  rode  down  the  river  a  fev/ 
pools,  and  found  a  very  fine  herd  of  about  thirty  hippo- 
potami.   I  wounded  three  or  four  of  these,  and  killed  one 

Vo,.,  II.—H 


170  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

We  trek  down  the  Limpopo — Abundance  of  Sea-cows — The  Lotsfino 
River — An  immense  Herd  of  Elephants — Combat  with  a  first-rate  old 
Bull — Rheumatic  Fever  attacks  nie,  which  determines  our  Course 
homeward — Elephants  smashing  Forest-trees — A  Lion  carries  off  one 
of  my  Men  from  the  Fireside — The  Beast  occujyied  consuming  him 
all  Night — The  man-eating  Lion  slain — Three  Hippopotami  shot — 
One  of  the  Dogs  eaten  by  a  Crocodile — The  fatal  "  Tsetse"  Fly — The 
Fountain  of  Seboono— An  old  Bull  Elephant  held  in  Check  without 
Gun  or  Dogs. 

I  RESOLVED  now  to  ccase  for  a  time  hunting  sea-cows, 
and  to  trek  ahead  in  good  earnest.  I  accordingly  took 
considerable  trouble  in  stowing  the  wagons  properly 
We  then  trekked  down  the  river  until  sundown.  1 
rode  ahead  of  the  wagons  to  explore,  and  was  struck 
with  astonishment  at  the  number  of  the  hippopotami. 
They  seemed  to  increase  the  further  I  trekked  down 
the  river ;  every  pool  had  its  herd ;  they  were  extremely 
fearless,  allowing  me  to  approach  within  fifteen  yards 
of  them.  In  the  morning  I  found  myself  minus  my 
hired  natives :  these  ruffians,  fearing  to  receive  a  chas- 
tisement similar  to  that  of  the  chief  of  the  Bakalahari, 
which  they  felt  they  deserved,  thought  it  best  to  get 
out  of  the  way  in  time,  and  had  cut  the  service.  The 
chief  Matsaca  brought  me  ivory,  which  I  obtained  in 
barter  for  muskets  and  some  ammunition. 

On  the  8th  we  trekked  at  dawn  of  day,  and  after 
proceeding  a  few  miles  came  upon  the  Lotsane,  one  of 
those  gravelly-bedded  rivers,  with  only  water  in  occa- 
sional spots,  such  as  are  met  with  in  the  Bamanajwato 
country.     Here  was  much  spoor  of  elephant ;   mid  ihc 


IMMENSE    HERD    OF    ELEPHANTS.  171 

natives  pressing  me  to  halt  and  hunt,  I  outspanned  and 
got  every  thing  ready  for  a  trip  from  the  wagons. 

The  next  morning  I  smarted  with  a  party  of  natives 
to  seek  elephants.  We  held  along  the  banks  of  the 
Lotsane  for  several  miles,  holding  a  northwesterly 
course ;  after  which  we  left  the  river  and  held  south- 
west ;  and  at  last  followed  down  to  the  Limpopo,  and 
so  home  to  camp,  without  finding  a  single  fresh  spoor. 
Here  I  found  my  old  friends  from  Bamangwato,  Moll- 
yeon  and  Kapain,  with  a  party.  I  was  glad  to  see 
these  men,  as  I  knew  they  would  assist  me  in  my  hunt- 
ing, and  they  could  also  converse  with  me. 

On  the  10th,  at  dawn  of  day,  I  rode  down  the  river, 
and  ordered  my  wagons  to  follow.  I  found  sea-cows 
more  and  more  abundant ;  every  pool  had  its  herd  :  the 
margin  of  the  river  on  each  side  was  trampled  down  by 
elephants,  rhinoceroses,  buffaloes,  &c.  Having  ridden 
about  six  miles,  I  found  the  fresh  spoor  of  a  troop  of 
bull  elephants.  I  off-saddled,  and  in  an  hour  the  wag- 
ons came  up,  when  I  took  up  the  spoor,  accompanied 
by  Carey,  Hendric,  and  Ruyter.  After  following  the 
spoor  for  some  miles,  the  natives  lost  it.  A  little  dis- 
tance ahead  of  us  was  a  rocky  hill,  to  the  summit  of 
which  I  ascended.  This  spot  commanded  a  good  view 
of  the  adjacent  forest.  I  at  once  detected  an  immense 
herd  of  elephants.  They  were  drinking  in  a  wide  open 
spot  on  a  gravelly-bedded  river  which  falls  into  the 
Limpopo,  called  by  the  natives  Suking. 

We  then  made  a  turn  to  leeward  and  came  in  upon 
this  fine  herd  ;  it  was  the  largest  I  had  ever  seen  ;  tiiere 
must  have  been  upward  of  one  hundred  elephants  be- 
fore  my  eye  at  once.  The  troop  consisted  chiefly  of 
cov/s  and  calves  ;  I,  however,  detected  one  fine,  well- 
grown  bull,  carrying  very  fair  tusks.  I  rode  slowly 
• 


172  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

toward  him,  followed  by  my  men,  and  the  natives  lead- 
ing the  dogs.  We  advanced  unobserved  until  we  were 
within  twenty  yards  of  some  of  the  outside  cows.  Here 
I  enjoyed  a  fine  view  of  the  herd :  they  stood  drinking 
on  a  vast  surface  of  granite  rock,  and,  though  no  trees 
intervened  between  us  and  them,  they  took  not  the 
slightest  notice  of  us. 

At  length  I  gave  the  bull  a  shot  in  the  shoulder,  and 
then  followed  him  up.  He  stumbled,  and  fell  once  upon 
the  slippery  rock,  but,  recovering  his  feet,  went  off  at 
a  pace  which  I  could  hardly  equal  on  the  dangerous 
rock.  By  good  luck,  most  of  my  dogs  came  to  my  as- 
sistance, and  I  slew  him  in  a  few  minutes  with  eight 
or  ten  shots.  1  had  directed  Hendric  and  Carey  to  try 
to  hold  some  of  the  cows  for  me  until  I  was  ready  with 
the  bull ;  accordingly,  these  doughty  Nimrods  followed 
and  turned  four  cows  for  a  short  time,  and  then  left 
them,  without  even  firing  a  shot  to  advise  me  of  their 
course  ;  the  consequence  of  which  was,  that  I  knocked 
up  myself,  my  dogs,  and  horses,  in  chasing  the  retreat- 
ing herd  to  a  great  distance,  to  no  purpose. 

On  the  following  day  I  shot  another  bull  elephant 
and  a  white  rhinoceros ;  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
12th,  returning  to  camp  weary  and  worn,  I  came  un- 
expectedly upon  a  bull  elephant  of  unusual  size,  stand- 
ing in  the  shade  on  the  margin  of  the  Limpopo.  He 
took  refuge  in  an  extensive  jungle  of  impracticable  wait- 
a-bits,  where  it  was  impossible  to  do  any  thing  on  horse- 
back, and  I  was  therefore  obliged  to  hunt  him  on  foot. 
I  slew  him  with  thirty  bullets  after  an  extremely  severe 
and  dangerous  combat  of  about  two  hours.  I  afterward 
felt  much  the  worse  for  this  severe  exertion. 

On  the  14th  I  dispatched  Hendric  to  bring  on  the 
wagons,  which  came  up  in  the  afternoon.     Night  set 


ATTACK    OF    RHEUMATIC    FEVER.  173 

in  warn.,  calm,  and  still,  with  a  good  moonlight.  Ele- 
phants, sea-cows,  and  panthers  kept  up  a  continued 
music  above  and  below  us  along  the  river  until  I  fell 
asleep. 

On  the  15th  I  felt  very  ill,  but  in  the  forenoon  I  went 
down  to  the  river,  where  I  shot  two  sea-cows.  In  the 
evening,  feeling  worse,  I  bled  myself,  but  strong  fever 
was  on  me  all  night. 

Next  morning  I  marched,  halting  at  sundown  on  the 
Mokojay,  a  gravelly-bedded  periodical  river,  where  ele- 
phants occasionally  drank. 

On  the  ISth,  at  dawn  of  day,  I  took  leave  of  Moll- 
yeon  and  Kapain  of  Bamangwato,  as  they  would  not 
follow  me  farther.  We  then  inspanncd,  and  held  down 
the  Limpopo.  I  regretted  to  observe  that  the  spoor 
of  elephants  did  not  seem  to  increase  in  the  same  ratio 
as  I  had  allowed  myself  to  imagine.  We  were  in  an 
extremely  remote  and  secluded  corner  of  the  world, 
quite  uninhabited  ;  yet  the  elephants,  though  frequent- 
ing it,  were  decidedly  scarce.  I  felt  extremely  weak 
and  nervous  from  the  fever  and  the  quantity  of  blood 
which  I  had  lost,  in  so  much  that  I  started  at  my  own 
shadow,  and  several  times  sprang  to  one  side  when  the 
leaves  rustled  in  the  bushes.  I  walked  along  the  bank 
of  the  river  with  my  gun  loaded  with  small  shot,  in- 
tending to  shoot  a  partridge  for  my  breakfast.  Pres- 
ently I  came  upon  the  fresh  dung  of  bull  elephants, 
and  at  the  same  moment  my  people  at  the  wagons  saw 
two  old  bull  elephants  within  two  hundred  yards  of 
them  ;  and  the  wind  being  favorable,  they  walked  un- 
suspiciously. After  a  very  short  chase  I  succeeded  in 
killing  both. 

My  fever  still  continuing  on  me,  and  the  natives  hav- 
ing deserted,  I  determined  upon  turning  my  face  homo- 


174  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ward.  Accordingly,  on  the  21st,  I  ordered  my  men  to 
insjjan  and  retrace  their  spoor.  A  troop  of  lions  had 
killed  some  game  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  us, 
and  had  been  roaring  very  loudly  all  the  morning : 
these  gave  us  a  parting  salute  as  we  were  inspanning. 
Their  voices  sounded  to  me  ominous,  perhaps  from  the 
nervous  state  of  my  health.  I  thought  they  said,  "  Yes, 
you  do  well  to  retrace  your  rash  steps  ;  you  have  just 
come  far  enough."  I  must  acknowledge  that  I  felt  a 
little  anxious  as  to  the  safety  of  proceeding  further  on 
several  accounts.  First,  the  natives  had  spoken  of 
JNIoselekatze,  now  resident  not  very  far  in  advance,  as 
one  who  would  most  unquestionably  murder  me,  and 
seize  all  my  property.  They  also  told  pie  that  I  should 
lose  all  my  cattle  by  the  fly  called  "  Tsetse;"  and  I  had 
also  reason  to  believe  the  country  in  advance  not  very 
healthy  for  man. 

My  followers  received  my  orders  to  turn  homeward 
with  sincere  gratification:  we  trekked  till  sundown, 
halting  on  the  march  for  a  sick  ox,  which  we  eventually 
left  behind  a  prey  to  the  lions,  and  slept  on  the  Moko- 
jay,  where'the  Bamangwato  men  had  left  me. 

On  the  29th  we  arrived  at  a  small  village  of  Baka- 
lahari.  These  natives  told  me  that  elephants  were 
abundant  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  I  accord- 
ingly resolved  to  halt  here  and  hunt,  and  drew  my  wag- 
ons up  on  the  river's  bank,  within  thirty  yards  of  the 
water,  and  about  one  hundred  yards  from  the  native 
village.  Having  outspanned,  we  at  once  set  about 
making  for  the  cattle  a  kraal  of  the  worst  description 
of  thorn-trees.  Of  this  I  had  now  become  very  par- 
ticular, since  my  severe  loss  by  lions  on  the  first  of  this 
month  ;  and  my  cattle  were,  at  night,  secured  by  a 
strong  kraal,  which  inclosed  my  two  wagons,  the  horses 


A    MAN-EATER    LION. 


175 


being  made  fast  to  a  trek-tow  stretched  between  the 
hind  wheels  of  the  wagons.  I  liad  yet,  however,  a  fear- 
ful lesson  to  learn  as  to  the  nature  and  character  of  the 
lion,  of  which  I  had  at  one  time  entertained  so  little 
fear ;  and  on  this  night  a  horrible  tragedy  was  to  be 
acted  in  my  little  lonely  camp  of  so  very  awful  and 
appalling  a  nature  as  to  make  the  blood  curdle  in  our 
veins.  I  worked  till  near  sundown  at  one  side  of  the 
kraal  with  Hendric,  my  first  wagon-driver — I  cutting 
down  the  trees  with  my  ax,  and  he  dragging  them  to 
the  kraal.  When  the  kraal  for  the  cattle  was  finished, 
I  turned  my  attention  to  making  a  pot  of  barley-broth, 
and  lighted  a  fire  between  the  wagons  and  the  water, 
close  on  the  river's  bank,  under  a  dense  grove  of  shady 
trees,  making  no  sort  of  kraal  around  our  sitting-place 
for  the  evening. 

The  Hottentots,  without  any  reason,  made  their  fire 
about  fifty  yards  from  mine ;  they,  according  to  their 
usual  custom,  being  satisfied  with  the  shelter  of  a  large 
dense  bush.  The  evening  passed  away  cheerfully. 
Soon  after  it  was  dark  we  heard  elephants  breaking 
the  trees  in  the  forest  across  the  river,  and  once  or  twice 
I  strode  away  into  the  darkness  some  distance  from  the 
fireside  to  stand  and  listen  to  them.  I  little,  at  that 
moment,  deemed  of  the  imminent  peril  to  which  I  was 
exposing  my  life,  nor  thought  that  a  blood-thirsty  man- 
eater  lion  was  crouching  near,  and  only  watching  his 
opportunity  to  spring  into  the  kraal,  and  consign  one 
of  us  to  a  most  horrible  death.  About  three  hours  after 
the  sun  went  down  I  called  to  my  men  to  come  and 
take  their  coflfee  and  supper,  which  was  ready  for  them 
at  my  fire  ;  and  after  supper  three  of  them  returned 
before  their  comrades  to  their  own  fireside,  and  lay 
down ;  these  were  John  Stofolus,  Hendric,  and  Ruy- 


176  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ter.  In  a  few  minutes  an  ox  came  out  by  the  gate  of 
the  kraal  and  walked  round  the  back  of  it.  Hendrio 
got  up  and  drove  him  in  again,  and  then  went  back  to 
his  fireside  and  lay  down.  Hendric  and  Ruyter  lay 
on  one  side  of  the  fire  under  one  blanket,  and  John 
Stofolus  lay  on  the  other.  At  this  moment  I  was  sit- 
ting taking  some  barley-broth  ;  our  fire  was  very  small, 
and  the  night  was  pitch-dark  and  windy.  Owing  to 
our  proximity  to  the  native  village  the  wood  was  very 
scarce,  the  Bakalahari  having  burned  it  all  in  their 
fires. 

Suddenly  the  appalling  and  murderous  voice  of  an 
angry,  blood-thirsty  lion  burst  upon  my  ear  within  a  few 
yards  of  us,  followed  by  the  shrieking  of  the  Hottentots. 
Again  and  again  the  murderous  roar  of  attack  was  re- 
peated. We  heard  John  and  Ruyter  shriek  "  The 
lion  !  the  lion  !"  still,  for  a  few  moments,  we  thought 
he  was  but  chasing  one  of  the  dogs  round  the  kraal ; 
but,  next  instant,  John  Stofolus  rushed  into  the  midst 
of  us  almost  speechless  with  fear  and  terror,  his  eyes 
bursting  from  their  sockets,  and  shrieked  out,  "  The 
Hon  !  the  lion  !  He  has  got  Hendric  ;  he  dragged  him 
away  from  the  fire  beside  me.  I  struck  him  with  the 
burning  brands  upon  his  head,  but  he  would  not  let  go 
his  hold.  Hendric  is  dead!  Oh  God !  Hendric  is  dead ! 
Let  us  take  fire  and  seek  him  !"  The  rest  of  my  peo- 
ple rushed  about,  shrieking  and  yelling  as  if  they  were 
mad.  I  was  at  once  angry  with  them  for  their  folly, 
and  told  them  that  if  they  did  not  stand  still  and  keep 
quiet  the  lion  would  have  another  of  us  ;  and  that  very 
likely  there  was  a  troop  of  them.  I  ordered  the  dogs, 
which  were  nearly  all  fast,  to  je  made  loose,  and  the 
fire  to  be  increased  as  far  as  could  be.  I  then  shouted 
Hendric's  name,  but  all  was  still.     I  told  my  men  that 


AN    APPALLING    TRAGEDY.  177 

Hendric  was  dead,  and  that  a  regiment  nf  soldiers  could 
not  now  help  him,  and,  hunting  my  dogs  forward,  I  had 
every  thing  brought  within  the  cattle-kraal,  when  wo 
lighted  our  fire  and  closed  the  entrance  as  well  as  we 
could. 

My  terrified  people  sat  round  the  fire  with  guns  in 
their  hands  till  the  day  broke,  still  fancying  that  every 
moment  the  lion  would  return  and  spring  again  into  the 
midst  of  us.  When  the  dogs  were  first  let  go,  the  stu- 
pid brutes,  as  dogs  often  prove  when  most  required,  in- 
stead of  going  at  the  lion,  rushed  fiercely  on  one  an- 
other, and  fought  desperately  for  some  minutes.  After 
this  they  got  his  wind,  and,  going  at  him,  disclosed  to 
us  his  position  :  they  kept  up  a  continual  barking  until 
the  day  dawned,  the  lion  occasionally  springing  after 
them  and  driving  them  in  upon  the  kraal.  The  horri- 
ble monster  lay  all  night  within  forty  yards  of  us,  con- 
suming the  wretched  man  whom  he  had  chosen  for  his 
prey.  He  had  dragged  him  into  a  little  hollow  at  the 
back  of  the  thick  bush  beside  which  the  fire  was  kindled, 
and  there  he  remained  till  the  day  dawned,  careless  of 
our  proximity. 

It  appeared  that  when  the  unfortunate  Hendric  rose 
to  drive  in  the  ox,  the  lion  had  watched  him  to  his  fire- 
side, and  he  had  scarcely  lain  down  when  the  brute 
sprang  upon  him  and  Ruyter  (for  both  lay  under  one 
blanket),  with  his  appalling,  murderous  roar,  and,  roar- 
ing as  he  lay,  grappled  him  with  his  fearful  claws,  and 
kept  biting  him  on  the  breast  and  shoulder,  all  the 
while  feeling  for  his  neck  ;  having  got  hold  of  which, 
he  at  once  dragged  him  away  backward  round  the  bush 
into  the  dense  shade. 

As  the  lion  lay  upon  the  unfortunate  man,  he  faint- 
ly cried,  "Help  me,  help  me  I  Oh  God!  men,  help 
H2 


178  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

me !"  After  which  the  fearful  beast  got  a  hold  of  his 
neck,  and  then  all  was  still,  except  that  his  comrades 
heard  the  bones  of  his  neck  cracking  between  the  teeth 
of  the  lion.  John  Stofolus  liad  lain  with  his  back  to 
the  fire  on  the  opposite  side,  and  on  hearing  the  lion  he 
sprang  up,  and,  seizing  a  large  flaming  brand,  he  had 
belabored  him  on  the  head  with  the  burning  wood  ;  but 
the  brute  did  not  take  any  notice  of  him.  The  Bush- 
man had  a  narrow  escape  ;  he  was  not  altogether 
scatheless,  the  lion  having  inflicted  two  gashes  in  his 
seat  with  his  clav/s. 

The  next  morning,  just  as  the  day  began  to  dawn, 
we  heard  the  lion  dragging  something  up  the  river  side 
under  cover  of  the  bank.  We  drove  the  cattle  out  of 
the  kraal,  and  then  proceeded  to  inspect  the  scene  of 
the  night's  awful  tragedy.  In  the  hollow,  whore  the 
lion  had  lain  consuming  his  prey,  we  found  one  leg  of 
the  unfortunate  Hendric,  bitten  off  below  the  knee,  the 
shoe  still  on  his  foot ;  the  grass  and  bushes  were  all 
stained  with  his  blood,  and  fragments  of  his  pea-coat 
lay  around.  Poor  Hendric  !  I  knew  the  fragments  of 
that  old  coat,  and  had  often  marked  them  hanging  in 
the  dense  covers  where  the  elephant  had  charged  after 
my  unfortunate  after-rider.  Hendric  was  by  far  the 
best  man  I  had  about  my  wagons,  of  a  most  cheerful 
disposition,  a  first-rate  wagon-driver,  fearless  in  the 
field,  ever  active,  willing,  and  obliging :  his  loss  to  us 
all  was  very  serious.  I  felt  confounded  and  utterly  sick 
in  my  heart ;  I  could  not  remain  at  the  wagons,  so  I 
resolved  to  go  after  elephants  to  divert  my  mind.  I 
had  that  morning  heard  them  breaking  the  trees  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river.  I  accordingly  told  the  na- 
tives of  the  village  of  my  intentions,  and  having  order- 
ed mv  people  to  devote  the  day  to  fortifying  the  kraal. 


SEARCH    FOR    THE    MAN-EATER    LION.  179 

started  with  Piet  and  Ruyter  as  my  after-riders.  It 
was  a  very  cool  da.y.  We  crossed  th-e  river,  and  at 
once  took  up  the  fresh  spoor  of  a  troop  of  bull  elephants. 
These  bulls  unfortunately  joined  a  troop  of  cows,  and 
when  we  came  on  them  the  dogs  attacked  the  cows, 
and  the  bulls  were  off'  in  a  moment,  before  we  could 
-even  see  them.  One  remarkably  fine  old  cow  charged 
the  dogs.  .  I  hunted  this  cow,  and  finished  her  with  two 
shots  from  the  saddle.  Being  anxious  to  return  to  my 
oeople  before  night,  I  did  not  attempt  to  follow  the  troop. 
My  followers  were  not  a  little  gratified  to  see  me  re- 
turning, for  terror  had  taken  hold  of  their  minds,  and 
they  expected  that  the  lion  would  return,  and,  embold- 
ened by  the  success  of  the  preceding  night,  would  prove 
still  more  daring  in  his  attack.  The  lion  would  most 
certainly  have  returned,  but  fate  had  otherwise  ordain- 
ed. My  health  had  been  better  in  the  last  three  days: 
my  fever  was  leaving  me,  but  I  was,  of  course,  still 
very  weak.  It  would  still  be  two  hours  before  the  sun 
would  set,  and,  feeling  refreshed  by  a  little  rest,  and 
able  for  further  work,  I  ordered  the  steeds  to  be  sad- 
dled, and  went  in  search  of  the  lion. 

I  took  John  and  Carey  as  after-riders,  armed,  and  a 
party  of  the  natives  followed  up  the  spoor  and  led  the 
dogs.  The  lion  had  dragged  the  remains  of  poor  Hen- 
dric  along  a  native  foot-path  that  led  up  the  river  side. 
"We  found  fragments  of  his  coat  all  along  the  spoor,  and 
at  last  the  mangled  coat  itself.  About  six  hundred 
yards  from  our  camp  a  dry  river's  course  joined  tho 
Limpopo.  At  this  spot  was  much  shade,  cover,  and 
heaps  of  dry  reeds  and  trees  deposited  by  the  Limpopo 
in  some  great  flood.  The  lion  had  left  the  foot-path 
and  entered  this  secluded  spot.  I  at  once  felt  con- 
vinced that  we  were  upon  him  and  ordered  the  natives 


180  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

to  make  loose  the  dogs.  These  walked  suspiciously 
forward  on  the  spoor,  and  next  minute  began  to  spring 
about,  barking  angrily,  with  all  their  hair  bristling  on 
their  backs:  a  crash  upon  the  dry  reeds  immediately 
followed — it  was  the  lion  bounding  away. 

Several  of  the  dogs  were  extremely  afraid  of  him, 
and  kept  rushing  continually  backward  and  springing 
aloft  to  obtain  a  view.  I  now  pressed  forward  and 
urged  them  on  ;  old  Argyll  and  Bles  took  up  his  spoor 
in  gallant  style,  and  led  on  the  other  dogs.  Then  com- 
menced a  short  but  lively  and  glorious  chase,  whose 
conclusion  was  the  only  small  satisfaction  that  I  could 
obtain  to  answer  for  the  horrors  of  the  preceding  even- 
ing. The  lion  held  up  the  river's  bank  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, and  took  away  through  some  wait-a-bit  thorn 
cover,  the  best  he  could  find,  but  nevertheless  open. 
Here,  in  two  minutes,  the  dogs  were  up  with  him,  and 
he  turned  and  stood  at  bay.  As  I  approached,  he  stood, 
his  horrid  head  right  to  me,  with  open  jaws  growling 
fiercely,  his  tail  waving  from  side  to  side. 

On  beholding  him  my  blood  boiled  with  rage.  I  wish- 
ed that  I  could  take  him  alive  and  torture  him,  and, 
setting  my  teeth,  I  dashed  my  steed  forward  within 
thirty  yards  of  him  and  shouted,  '•'•Your  time  is  up,  old 
fellow."  I  halted  my  horse,  and,  placing  my  rille  to 
my  shoulder,  waited  for  a  broadside.  This  the  next 
moment  he  exposed,  when  I  sent  a  bullet  through  his 
shoulder  and  dropped  him  on  the  spot.  He  rose,  how- 
ever, again,  when  I  finished  him  with  a  second  in  the 
breast.  The  Bakalahari  now  came  up  in  wonder  and 
delight.  I  ordered  John  to  cut  off  his  head  and  fore- 
paws  and  bring  them  to  the  wagons,  and,  mounting  my 
horse,  galloped  home,  having  been  absent  about  fifteen 
minutes.    When  the  Bakalahari  women  heard  that  the 


SHOOTING    HIPPOPOTAMI.  181 

man-cater  was  dead,  they  all  commenced  dancing  about 
with  joy,  calling  me  their  father. 

On  tlie  Cth  of  September,  there  being  no  flesh  in 
camp,  I  galloped  up  the  river  side  to  slay  a  hippopot- 
amus, and  presently  heard  a  troop  of  them  chanting 
behind  me :  I  had  ridden  past  them  and  not  observed 
them.  With  these  I  was  unlucky  :  I  wounded  six  or 
seven,  but  did  not  bag  one ;  they  became  very  shy  and 
cunning  after  the  first  shot,  only  protruding  their  noses. 
At  mid-day  I  returned  to  camp  and  drank  tea,  after 
which  I  galloped  down  the  river  to  a  favorite  sea-cow 
pool  about  a  mile  below  my  wagons :  I  was  accompa- 
nied by  natives  carrying  my  rifles.  I  found  an  im- 
mense herd  of  at  least  thirty  hippopotami  lying  upon 
the  rocks  in  the  middle  of  the  river.  I  shot  the  best 
bull  and  two  fine  old  cows,  and  wounded  a  fourth.  Tho 
bull  and  the  two  cows  soon  floated,  and  all  three  rest- 
ed together  on  a  ledge  of  rocks  in  the  middle  of  the  riv- 
er. I  then  sent  for  John  and  Adonis,  and  with  the  as- 
sistance of  the  Bakalahari  we  got  them  into  shallow 
water,  where  we  could  work  upon  them. 

I  was  occupied  most  of  the  next  day  in  superin- 
tending the  cutting  up  of  the  flesh  of  the  sea-cows, 
and  reducing  the  same  to  biltongue,  which  we  hung 
in  garlands  upon  ox-rheims  stretched-  between  the 
trees,  surrounding  them  by  a  strong  kraal  of  thorn- 
trees. 

In  the  evening  a  large  party  of  Seleka's  Bechuanas 
arrived  at  my  camp.  On  the  8th  one  of  my  horses  died 
of  horse-sickness ;  it  was,  of  course,  my  favorite,  being 
my  best  shooting-horse.  On  reaching  camp  after  my 
last  hunting  excursion,  "  Lion,"  my  very  best  dog,  was 
reported  consumed  by  a  huge  crocodile,  who  frequented 
the  spot  where  we  drew  water  :  for  such  little  pleasing 


182  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

varieties  the  African  hunter  must  make  up  his  mind; 
they  are  mere  occurrences  of  every  day. 

I  saddled  up  at  an  early  hour,  and  went  in  quest  of 
elephants  with  Seleka's  men.  We  crossed  the  Limpo- 
po,  and  then  held  east  through  the  forest  for  the  strong 
fountain  called  Seboono.  I  was  unlucky  here,  however, 
as  I  also  was  next  day,  although  we  hunted  by  a  splen- 
did fountain  in  a  more  southerly  direction.  When 
under  the  mountains  I  met  with  the  famous  fly  call- 
ed "  tsetse,"  whose  bite  is  certain  death  to  oxen  and 
horses.  This  "  hunter's  scourge"  is  similar  to  a  fly 
in  Scotland  called  "kleg,"  but  a  little  smaller;  they 
are  very  quick  and  active,  and  storm  a  horse  like  a 
swarm  of  bees,  alighting  on  him  in  hundreds  and 
drinking  his  blood.  The  animal  thus  bitten  pines  away 
and  dies  at  periods  varying  from  a  week  to  three  months, 
according  to  the  extent  to  which  he  has  been  bitten. 

On  the  10th  the  chief  Pocoolway  arrived  with  a  large 
retinue:  he  was  a  short,  stout  man,  of  a  prepossessing 
expression,  and  both  in  appearance  and  manner  much 
reminded  me  of  a  certain  Scottish  earl. 

After  three  or  four  days'  unsuccessful  hunting,  I  re- 
solved on  the  14th,  there  being  good  moonlight,  to  try 
what  might  be  done  with  the  elephants  by  night-shoot- 
ing at  the  fountains,  and  I  determined  to  make  Carey 
shoot  with  me,  he  using  the  big  rifle  of  six  to  the  pound, 
and  I  my  single-barreled  two-grooved  of  eight  to  tho 
pound.  In  the  forenoon  we  were  occupied  making  very 
hard  bullets  and  sorting  our  ammunition,  &c.,  &c.,  for 
a  week's  expedition,  and  at  mid-day  we  started,  follow- 
ed by  about  sixty  natives.  We  crossed  the  Limpopo, 
and  held  about  east,  right  away  through  the  forest,  for 
the  fountain  which  I  had  visited  on  the  8th.  On  our 
line  of  march  we  found  no  fresh  spoor :  the  day  was  ex. 


A  PAIR  OF  NOBLE  BULL  ELEPHANTS.       183 

Ixemely  hot,  and  the  shuffling  Becliuanas  chose  to  lag 
behind  in  the  forest  until  they  lost  me  entirely,  with 
the  exception  of  three  or  four,  who  kept  up  with  Piet 
my  after-rider,  carrying  my  gun,  and  leading  "Filbert" 
and  "  Frochum,"  two  of  my  best  dogs.  Not  one  of 
these  men  knew  the  country,  and  they  had  no  Baka- 
labari  with  tiiem  to  act  as  guides.  When  I  reach- 
ed the  small  fountain  which  lies  west  of  the  famous 
fountain  for  which  I  was  steering,  I  told  Piet  to  come 
on  with  the  natives,  and  that  I  would  ride  ahead  to 
the  large  fountain.  I  then  galloped  ahead,  and  made 
the  fountain  on  its  lee  side.  On  slowly  emerging  from 
the  thorny  thicket  through  which  I  rode,  I  was  aston- 
ished to  behold  two  superb  old  bull  elephants  standing 
before  me  in  the  open  space  betwen  the  cover  and  the 
fountain.  Both  of  them  carried  enormous  tusks;  one 
bull,  however,  was  much  taller  and  stouter  than  his 
comrade;  I  had  very  rarely  seen  his  match,  and  his 
tusks  at  once  took  my  eye  as  being  perhaps  the  finest 
[  had  ever  beheld.  Here,  then,  was  I  standing,  without 
2^n  or  dogs,  and  with  a  very  jaded  steed,  beside,  as  I 
afterward  had  good  reason  to  believe,  the  very  best  ele- 
phant in  all  that  district,  and  in  perhaps  many  of  the 
surrounding  parts.  I  would  have  given  any  thing  at 
that  moment  for  my  gun  and  dogs. 

I  felt  much  perplexed  what  to  do,  but  at  length  re- 
solved that  it  was  best  to  hold  the  elephants  in  my  view, 
and  in  the  event  of  their  being  started  to  endeavor  to 
hold  the  larger  bull  in  play,  and  hunt  him  always  back 
toward  the  fountain,  until  assistance  should  arrive.  It 
was  well  that  I  camQ  to  so  shrewd  a  resolution,  foi  I 
had  not  stood  sentry  over  them  for  many  minutes,  wjien, 
some  straggling  party  having  missed  the  fountain,  and 
passing  to  windward,  they  suddenly  tossed  up  their 


184  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

trunks,  and,  snuffing  the  tainted  gale,  crashed  past  me 
down  the  wind  at  top  speed. 

Now  came  the  tug  of  war.  I  had  no  child's  play  be- 
fore me:  alone  and  unassisted,  and  on  a  very  jaded  steed, 
I  had  resolved  to  endeavor  what  no  two  of  my  men 
had  ever  accomplished  for  me.  I  had  not  only  to  stick 
by  the  elephant  wherever  he  chose  to  go,  which  was  all 
I  required  of  my  people  when  endeavoring  to  assist  mo 
in  my  hunting,  but  I  must  also  drive  him  back  and 
keep  him  by  the  fountain,  or  else  all  my  exertions  would 
be  fruitless. 

I  had  very  slight  hope  of  success ;  but  he  was  well 
worthy  of  a  tough  struggle,  and  I  determined  that  he 
should  have  it.  I  thought  what  my  feelings  would  be 
that  night  by  my  fireside  if  I  let  him  escape,  and,  on 
the  other  hand,  how  highly  I  should  prize  his  noble  tro- 
phies if  I  succeeded.  I  at  once  dashed  after  him  and 
separated  him  from  his  comrade.  When  he  found  that 
I  had  the  speed  of  him,  he  turned  at  once  upon  me  and 
charged  furiously  back  toward  the  fountain,  after  which 
he  tried  to  conceal  himself  among  the  trees,  and,  hav- 
ing stood  motionless  for  some  time  with  his  head  to- 
ward me,  crashed  away  through  the  forest  to  the  south- 
ward. I  soon  headed  him  again,  yelling  with  all  my 
might.  Of  course  another  charge  followed :  I  eventu- 
ally managed,  however,  to  drive  him  back  close  to  the 
fountain;  still,  no  assistance  hove  in  sight.  My  after- 
rider,  though  he  had  been  there  before,  had  missed  the 
fountain.  It  was  he  and  the  natives  with  him  who  had 
started  the  elephants :  they  had  crossed  the  fountain  to 
windward,  and  were  wandering  about  with  my  gun  and 
dogs  some  miles  beyond  me. 

It  were  long  to  describe  all  the  turns  and  twists  I  had 
with  this  princely  old  bull.     I  certainly  did  my  duty, 


AN    UNARMED    ENCOUNTER.  185 

and  stuck  by  him  like  a  good  old  deer-honnd  by  his 
stag.  At  length  the  elephant  became  extremely  fierce, 
following  up  his  charges  with  most  determined  intent  to 
crush  me  and  my  steed,  which,  at  first  very  much  jad- 
ed, was  now  so  completely  done  up  that  he  could  barely 
hold  his  own.  I  myself  felt  much  exhausted,  and  my 
throat  was  becoming  so  sore  and  hoarse  that  my  shout- 
ing was  for  the  present  nearing  to  a  close.  In  this  state 
of  things  I  could  not  have  held  him  much  longer.  Help 
was,  however,  at  hand.  Carey  and  Mutch uisho,  with 
a  large  party  of  the  natives,  were  at  this  moment  care- 
fully following  up  the  spoor  of  my  horse  where  1  had 
first  ridden  ahead  to  the  fountain,  and  were  pa.ssing  a 
considerable  distance  to  leeward  of  wdiere  I  was  at  bay, 
or  rather,  I  should  say,  baying,  wdien  my  hoarse  voice 
fell  on  Carey's  ear,  and  he  instantly  called  silence 
among  the  natives,  and  sat  listening  in  his  saddle.  A 
second  time  my  voice  fell  on  his  ear,  and  he  at  once 
held  forward  right  for  me,  contrary  to  the  opinion  of 
the  thick-headed  natives,  who  swore  that  the  voice 
came  from  behind. 

Fortunately,  at  this  very  moment  the  elephant  made 
a  furious  charge  after  me,  accompanied  by  a  temendons 
trumpet,  which  at  once  sealed  his  fate.  They  all  heard 
it,  and  "Cooley"  and  "Affriar,"  two  right  good  dogs, 
were  instantly  released  from  the  couples  and  flew  to  my 
assistance,  followed  by  Carey  and  the  natives.  Right 
glad  was  I  when  I  saw  black  Cooley  come  up  to  help 
me.  I  at  once  felt  that  the  elephant  was  mine,  being 
certain  that  further  assistance  was  at  hand,  and,  with 
revived  spirits,  I  yelled  with  all  my  might.  In  two 
minutes  up  came  Carey  on  horseback,  but  without  a 
gun.  I  called  out  to  him,  "  For  God's  sake,  Carey, 
bring  me  a  gun  !  here  is  the  finest  elephant  in  Africa  ; 


1S6  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

I  have  held  him  at  bay  and  fought  with  him  for  .learly 
two  hours."  Carey  rode  back  and  brought  me  his 
single-barreled  smooth  bore,  carrying  twelve  to  the 
pound,  and  gave  me  eight  bullets  out  of  his  belt,  ex- 
pressing immense  regret  that  my  gun  was  not  forth- 
coming. Carey  had  always  an  absurd  idea  that  his 
gun  could  not  kill  an  elephant:  to-day,  however,  it  was 
in  other  hands.  "  My  good  fellow,"  I  said,  "  it  is  all 
right;  the  elephant  is  ours." 

I  then  opened  my  fire  on  him  from  the  saddle.  1 
put  my  seventh  bullet  through  his  heart:  on  receiving 
it,  he  made  a  short  charge,  and  stood  trembling  for  a 
few  seconds,  when  he  fell  forward  on  his  breast  and  so 
lay;  but  evincing  a  desire  to  alter  his  position,  which 
was  a  very  good  one  for  cutting  out  the  teeth,  I  dis- 
mounted, and,  going  close  up  to  him,  I  put  two  bullets 
into  his  ear,  when  he  expired.  The  tusks  of  this  elephant 
equaled  my  expectations;  one  of  them,  as  usual,  was 
more  perfect  than  its  fellow.  I  had  never  seen  their 
match  but  once.  On  reviewing  the  whole  afternoon's 
work,  I  considered  myself  extremely  fortunate  in  cap- 
turing this  noble  prize,  and  felt  most  gratified  with  the 
satisfactory  termination  of  my  exertions.  Piet  and  his 
party  heard  my  shots,  and  they  presently  came  up  to 
us;  coffee  and  other  good  things  were  soon  spread  out 
on  a  sheep-skin,  and  a  comfortable  sofa  being  quickly 
constructed  of  soft  grass,  covered  with  a  kaross,  I  lay 
down  to  rest,  the  happiest  of  the  happy. 

The  15th  was  an  extremely  hot  day.  Carey  and  I 
were  occupied  all  the  morning  cutting  out  the  tusks  of 
the  big  bull  elephant;  we  took  particular  care  not  to 
let  the  blood  fall  upon  them.  In  the  evening  we  made 
hiding-places  beside  the  fountain  from  which  to  shoot 
elephants,  and  when  the  sun  went  down  we  returned 


ELEPHANT    HUNTING.  187 

thitlier  and  took  np  our  positions  for  the  night.  Un- 
fortunately, the  dead  elephant  lay  directly  to  wind- 
ward of  the  southern  margin  of  the  fountain,  on  which 
side  were  all  the  best  elephant  foot-paths.  The  conse- 
quence was,  that  every  elephant  as  he  came  up  got  the 
wind  of  the  natives,  and  turned  right  about.  Late  in 
the  night  a  troop  of  eight  or  ten  bull  elephants  walked 
slowly  across  the  vley  with  their  heads  to  the  north.  I 
rushed  forward  to  get  before  them  in  the  wind,  and 
running  down  the  edge  of  the  thorn  cover,  I  got  with- 
in thirty  yards  of  the  last  bull,  which  was  the  best  in 
the  trof^p.  Ob.serving  me  move,  he  stood  with  his  tusks 
up  and  his  head  directed  toward  me  in  a  very  suspi- 
cious manner  for  two  minutes,  when  his  fears  died  away, 
and  he  turned  to  me  his  left  side.  I  then  gave  him  a 
deadly  shot,  which  brought  blood  from  his  trunk,  as  I 
ascertained  next  day.  Returning  from  firing  at  him,  I 
met  Carey;  his  pluck  had  failed  him,  and  he  had  drop- 
pel  behind.  On  upbraiding  him  for  not  standing  by  me, 
he  swore  stoutly*that  he  had  stuck  in  the  mud  I  as  we 
had  to  cross  a  bog  below  the  fountain  in  running  for  the 
shot.  I  thought  this  was  good,  and  I  said  to  myself, 
"  I  have  got  a  name  for  you  at  last."  But  Carey  was 
a  good  servant,  and  very  attentive  to  me  throughout 
my  expedition. 

The  next  morning  I  and  Mutchuisho  took  up  the 
spoor  of  my  wounded  elephant.  He  had  gone  off  very 
slowly,  with  blood  running  from  his  trujik.  After  fol- 
lowing  the  s])0()r  some  distance,  we  lost  it  among  others, 
and  we  then  gave  it  up.  I  sent  Cji  rey  to  t  he  wagnns  with 
the  t(;eth,T.o  act  as  escort,  they  being  well  worthy  of  an 
escort,  nnJ  at  night  I  watched  the  fountain  along  with 
three  Bakalahari.  We  had  not  been  long  on  the  watch 
before  three  enormous  old  bull  elephants  came ;  and,  aft- 


188  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

er  much  hesitation,  and  walking  once  or  twice  round  the 
water,  they  came  in  and  commenced  drinking.  I  lay 
close  to  the  edge  of  the  fountain  in  a  little  hollow.  The 
elephants  came  in  to  drink  on  the  north  side  of  a  run 
which  led  away  from  the  fountain,  and  I  lay  on  the 
south  side  of  it.  Suddenly  the  finest  bull  of  the  three 
walked  boldly  through  the  run  and  came  straight  for- 
ward to  where  I  lay.  If  I  had  remained  still  he  would 
have  walked  upon  me;  but  when  he  came  within  six 
or  eight  yards  I  gave  a  loud  cough,  upon  which  he  tossed 
his  head  aloft  and  gave  me  a  broadside,  exposing  his 
left  side.  I  then  gave  him  a  shot  from  the  bio:  two- 
grooved  rifle,  and  he  dashed  off  with  his  two  comrades 
in  immense  consternation,  holding  for  the  Limpopo. 

The  next  day  one  of  my  steeds  died  of  "  tsetse."  He 
had  been  bitten  under  the  mountain  range  lying  to  the 
south  of  this  fountain.  The  head  and  body  of  the  poor 
animal  swelled  up  in  a  most  distressing  manner  before 
he  died.  His  eyes  were  so  swollen  that  he  could  not 
see,  and  in  darkness  he  neighed  for  his  comratles  wdio 
stood  feedinor  beside  him. 


PAAPAA    FOUNTAIN.  189 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Paapaa  Fountein — Watch  by  Moonlight  from  a  Shooting-hole — Re- 
markable Sport  with  Elephants — Four  bagged  and  eight  mortally 
wounded  in  one  Night — Elephant  Hunting  with  Horse  and  Dogs  by 
Moouliglit  —  A  Troop  of  Lions — The  Vultures  with  the  shadowy 
Wings — Another  Dog  snapped  up  by  a  Crocodile — Tiie  Skeleton  of 
an  Elephant  shot  by  me  discovered — The  Tusks  being  gone,  strong 
Measures  are  adopted  for  their  Recovery. 

On  the  17th  of  September  I  resolved  to  leave  the 
fountain  of  Seboono,  as  it  was  nniuch  disturbed,  and  to 
proceed  with  a  few  Balvalahari  to  a  small  yet  famous 
water  about  six  miles  to  the  southeast.  We  accord- 
ingly saddled  up  and  held  thither.  On  reaching  this 
fountain,  which  is  called  by  the  natives  "  Paaj)aa,"  I 
found  the  numerous  foot-paths  leading  to  it  covered,  as 
1  had  anticipated,  with  fresh  spoor  of  elephant  and  rhi- 
noceros. I  then  at  once  proceeded  to  study  the  best 
spot  on  which  to  make  our  shooting-hole  for  the  night. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  prevent  some  of  the  game 
from  getting  our  wind,  for  the  foot-paths  led  to  it  from 
every  side.  The  prevailing  wind  was  from  the  east, 
so  I  pitched  upon  the  southwest  corner  of  the  fountain. 
The  water  was  not  more  than  twenty  yards  long  and 
ten  broad.  The  west  side  was  bounded  by  tufous  rock, 
which  rose  abruptly  from  the  water  about  five  feet  high. 
The  top  of  this  rock  was  level  with  the  surrounding 
vley,  and  here  all  the  elephants  drank,  as  if  suspicious 
of  treading  on  the  muddy  margin  on  the  other  three 
sides  of  the  fountain.  I  made  our  shooting-box  within 
six  or  eight  yards  of  the  water,  constructing  it  in  a  cir- 


190 


ADVENTURES    IN   SOUTH   AFRICA. 


cular  form,  of  bushes  packed  together  so  as  to  form  a 
hedge  about  three  feet  high.  On  the  top  of  the  hedge 
I  placed  heavy  dead  old  branches  of  trees,  so  as  to  form 
a  fine  clear  rest  for  our  rifles;  these  clean  old  branches 
were  all  lashed  firmly  together  with  strips  of  thorn  bark. 
All  being  completed,  I  took  the  Bakalahari  and  our 
steeds  to  a  shady  tree,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  lee- 
ward of  the  fountain,  where  we  formed  a  kraal  and  off- 
saddled.  This  day  was  particularly  adapted  to  bring 
game  to  the  water,  the  sun  being  extremely  powerful, 
and  a  hot  dry  wind  prevailing  all  the  afternoon.  I  told 
Carey  that  we  were  certain  of  having  a  good  night's 
sport,  and  I  was  right,  for  we  undoubtedly  had  about 
the  finest  night's  sport  and  the  most  wonderful  that  was 
ever  enjoyed  by  man. 

A  little  before  the  sun  went  down,  leaving  our  kraal, 
we  held  to  the  fountain,  having  with  us  our  heavy-met- 
aled rifles,  karosses,  and  two  Bakalahari.  We  also  had 
two  small  guns,  my  double-barreled  "Westlcy  Richards, 
and  Carey's  single-barreled  gun.  As  we  approached 
the  fountain,  a  stately  bull  giraffe  stood  before  us ;  the 
heat  of  the  day  had  brought  him  thither,  but  he  feared 
to  go  in  and  drink  ;  on  observing  us,  he  walked  slowly 
away.  Two  jackals  were  next  detected.  Guinea-fowl, 
partridges,  two  or  three  sorts  of  pigeon  and  turtle-dove, 
and  small  birds  in  countless  thousands,  were  pouring 
in  to  drink  from  every  airt,  as  we  walked  up  to  our 
hiding-place  and  lay  down.  In  a  few  minutes  the  sun 
was  under;  but  the  moon  was  strong  and  high  (it  being 
within  throe  nights  of  the  full),  and  the  sky  was  clear, 
with  scarcely  a  cloud.  Very  soon  a  step  was  heard  ap- 
proaching from  the  east :  it  was  a  presuming  black  rhi- 
noceros. He  came  up  within  ten  yards  of  the  hiding- 
hole,  and,  observing  us  with  his  sharp  prying  eye,  at 


THE    OLD    DUTCH    RIFIE    BURSTS.  191 

once  camo  slowly  forward  for  a  nearer  inspection.  I 
then  shouted  to  him;  but  this  he  did  not  heed  in  the 
slightest.  I  then  sprang  up  and  waved  my  large  ka- 
ross,  shouting  at  the  same  time.  This,  however,  only 
seemed  to  amuse  Borele,  for  he  stood  within  four  yards 
of  us,  \vith  his  horn  threatening  our  momentary  de- 
struction, nor  would  he  wheel  about  until  I  threw  a 
log  of  wood  at  him.  Black  rhinoceroses  are  very  dif- 
ficult to  scare  when  they  do  not  get  the  wind  ;  the 
best  way  to  do  so  is  to  hit  them  with  a  stone — that  is, 
in  the  event  of  the  sportsman  not  washing  to  fire  off 
his  gun. 

Soon  after  Borele  departed  four  old  bull  elephants 
drew  near  from  the  south.  They  were  coming  right  on 
for  the  spot  where  we  lay,  and  they  seemed  very  likely 
to  walk  over  the  top  of  us.  We  therefore  placed  our 
two  big  rifles  in  position,  and  awaited  their  forward 
movement  with  intense  interest.  On  they  came,  with 
a  slow  and  stately  step,  until  w^ithin  twenty  yards  of 
us,  when  the  leading  elephant  took  it  into  his  head  to 
pass  to  leeward.  We  let  him  come  on  until  he  got 
our  wind ;  he  was  then  within  ten  yards  of  the  muz- 
zles of  our  heavy-metaled  rifles  ;  on  winding  us,  he 
tos?ed  his  trunk  aloft,  and  we  instantly  fired  together. 
I  caught  him  somewhere  about  the  heart,  and  my  big 
six-pound  rifle  burst  in  Carey's  hands,  very  nearly  kill- 
ing us  both.  The  elephant,  on  being  fired  at,  wheeled 
about,  and  retreated  to  the  forest  at  top  speed.  I  now 
directed  "  Stick-in-the-mud"  to  make  use  of  his  single- 
barreled  twelve  to  the  pound  in  the  event  of  more  ele- 
phants coming  up;  and  thanking  my  stars  that  the  old 
Dutch  rifle  had  not  sent  us  both  to  the  land  of  the  leal, 
I  sat  down  and  ^vatchec.  the  dark  masses  of  tresis  that 
cut  the  sky  on  every  side,  in  the  hope  of  seeing  a  mass 


193  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

as  high  and  wide  come  towering  forward  into  the  open 
space  that  surrounded  the  fountain. 

Nor  did  I  watch  long  in  vain,  for  very  soon  three 
princely  bull  elephants  appeared  exactly  where  the  first 
came  on,  and  holding  exactly  the  same  course.  They 
approached  just  as  the  first  had  done.  When  the  lead- 
ing elephant  came  within  ten  yards  of  us,  he  got  our 
wind  and  tossed  up  his  trunk,  and  was  wheeling  round 
to  retreat,  when  we  fired  together,  and  sent  our  bullets 
somewhere  about  his  heart.  He  ran  two  hundred  yards 
and  then  stood,  being  evidently  dying.  His  comrades 
halted  likewise,  but  one  of  them,  the  finest  of  the  three, 
almost  immediately  turned  his  head  once  more  to  the 
fountain,  and  very  slowly  and  warily  came  on.  We 
now  heard  the  wounded  elephant  utter  the  cry  of  death, 
and  fall  heavily  on  the  earth.  Carey,  whose  ears  were 
damaged  by  the  bursting  of  the  big  rifle,  did  not  catch 
this  sound,  but  swore  that  the  elephant  which  now  so 
stealthily  approached  the  water  was  the  one  at  which 
we  had  fired. 

It  was  interesting  to  observe  this  grand  old  bull  ap- 
proach the  fountain :  he  seemed  to  mistrust  the  very 
earth  on  which  he  stood,  and  smelt  and  examined  with 
his  trunk  every  yard  of  the  ground  before  he  trod  on 
it,  and  sometimes  stood  five  minutes  on  one  spot  with- 
out moving.  At  length,  having  gone  round  three  sides 
of  the  fountain,  and  being  apparently  satisfied  as  to  the 
correctness  of  every  thing,  he  stepped  boldly  forward 
on  to  the  rock  on  the  west,  and,  walking  up  within  si.Kt 
or  seven  yards  of  the  muzzles  of  our  rifles,  turned  his 
broadside,  and,  lowering  his  trunk  into  the  water,  drew 
up  a  volume  of  water,  which  he  threw  over  his  back 
and  shoulders  to  cool  his  person.  This  operation  he  re- 
peated two  or  three  times,  after  which  he  commenced 


AN    ELEPHANT    PLAYING    WITH    FIRE.  193 

drinking,  by  drawing  the  water  into  his  trunk  and  then 
pouring  it  into  his  mouth.  I  determined  to  break  his 
leg  if  possible  ;  so,  covering  the  limb  about  level  with 
the  lower  line  of  his  body,  I  lired,  Carey  firing  for  his 
h(;art.  I  made  a  lucky  shot ;  and  as  the  elephant  turn- 
ed  and  attempted  to  make  away,  his  leg  broke  with  a 
loud  crack,  and  he  stood  upon  his  three  sound  ones. 
At  once  disabled  and  utterly  incapable  of  escaping, 
he  stood  statue-lilce  beside  the  fountain,  within  a  few 
yards  of  where  he  had  got  the  shot,  and  only  occasion- 
ally made  an  attempt  at  locomotion. 

The  patch  of  my  rifle  fired  at  this  elephant's  comrade 
had  ignited  a  large  ball  of  dry  old  dung,  about  eight 
yards  to  leeward  of  our  kraal,  and,  fanned  by  the  breeze 
it  was  now  burning  away  very  brightly,  the  sparks  fly- 
ing in  the  wind.  Presently,  on  looking  about  me,  I 
beheld  two  bull  elephants  approaching  by  the  self-same 
foot-path  which  the  others  had  held.  The  first  of  these 
was  a  half-grown  bull,  the  last  was  an  out-and-out  old 
fellow  with  enormous  tusks.  They  came  on  as  the 
first  had  done,  but  seemed  inclined  to  pass  to  wind- 
ward of  us.  The  young  bull,  however,  observed  the 
fire  ;  he  at  once  walked  up  to  it,  and,  smelling  at  it 
with  his  trunk,  seemed  extremely  amused,  and  in  a 
gamboling  humor  threw  his  trunk  about,  as  if  not 
knowing  what  to  think  of  it.  The  larger  bull  now 
came  up,  and  exposed  a  fine  broadside :  we  took  him 
behind  the  shoulder  and  fired  together :  on  receiving 
the  shots,  he  wheeled  about  and  held  west  with  droop- 
ing ears,  evidently  mortally  wounded. 

Some  time  after  this  I  detected  an  enormous  old  bull 
elephant  approaching  from  the  west.  If  we  lay  still 
where  we  were,  he  must  in  a  few  minutes  get  our  wind, 
so  we  jumped  up  and  ran  forward  out  of  his  line  of 

Vol.  n— I 


194  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

march.  Here  a  borele  opposed  our  farther  progress, 
and  we  had  to  stone  him  out  of  our  way.  The  ele- 
phant came  on,  and  presently  got  the  wind  of  where 
we  had  been  lying.  This  at  once  seemed  to  awaUe  his 
suspicions,  for  he  stood  still  among  the  trees,  stretching 
his  trunk  from  side  to  side  to  catch  the  scent,  and 
doubtful  whether  he  should  advance  or  retreat.  We 
then  ran  toward  him,  and  stalked  in  within  forty  yards 
of  where  he  stood,  and,  taking  up  a  position  behind  a 
bush,  awaited  his  forward  movement.  The  elephant 
came  slowly  forward,  and  I  thought  would  pass  to  wind- 
ward of  us,  when  he  suddenly  altered  his  course,  and 
walked  boldly  forward  right  for  where  we  stood.  He 
came  on  until  within  seven  or  eight  yards,  when  I 
coughed  loudly  to  turn  him.  He  tossed  up  his  trunk 
and  turned  quickly  round  to  fly  ;  as  he  turned,  how- 
ever, we  fired  together,  when  the  elephant  uttered  a 
shrill  cry  of  distress,  and  crashed  away,  evidently  hard 
hit.  When  this  bull  was  standing  before  us,  we  both 
remarked  that  he  was  the  finest  we  had  seen  that  night : 
his  tusks  were  extremely  long,  thick,  and  very  un- 
usually wide  set. 

We  now  returned  to  the  fountain,  and  once  rnore  lay 
down  to  watch.  Rhinoceroses,  both  black  and  white, 
were  parading  around  us  all  night  in  every  direction. 
We  had  lain  but  a  short  time  when  I  detected  a  single 
old  bull  elephant  approaching  from  the  south  by  the 
same  path  which  all  the  others  had  held.  This  ele- 
phant must  have  been  very  thirsty,  for  he  came  boldly 
on  without  any  hesitation,  and,  keeping  to  windward, 
walked  past  within  about  eight  yards  of  us.  AVe  fired 
at  the  same  moment ;  the  elephant  wheeled  about,  and, 
after  running  a  hundred  yards,  reduced  his  pace  to  a 
slow  walk.     I  clapped  Carey  on  the  shoulder,  and  •iaiJ. 


GLORIOUS    NIGHT    SHOOTING.  195 

"We  have  him.''  I  had  hardly  uttered  the  words  when 
ho  fell  over  on  his  side ;  he  rose,  however,  again  to  his 
feet.  At  this  moment  the  same  presuming  borele  who 
had  troubled  us  in  the  early  part  of  the  night  came  up' 
to  us  again,  and,  declining  as  before  to  depart  by  gentle 
hints,  I  thought  it  a  fitting  moment  to  put  an  end  to 
his  intrusion,  and  accordingly  gave  him  a  ball  behind 
the  shoulder.  On  receiving  it,  he  galloped  off  in  tre- 
mendous consternation,  and  passed  close  under  the  dy- 
ing elephant,  who  at  the  moment  fell  dead  with  a  heavy 
crash,  and  broke  one  of  his  hind  legs  under  him  in  the 
fall. 

About  an  hour  after  two  more  elephants  came  tower- 
ing on  from  the  east.  When  they  came  up  they  stood 
for  a  long  time  motionless  within  forty  yards  of  the 
water  ;  and  at  length  the  finer  of  the  two,  which  was 
a  very  first-rate  old  bull,  and  carrying  immense  tusks, 
walked  boldly  forward,  and,  passing  round  the  north 
side  of  the  fountain,  commenced  drinking  on  the  rock 
just  as  the  crippled  bull  had  done.  We  both  fired  to- 
gether, holding  for  his  heart ;  the  bullets  must  have 
gone  nearly  through  him,  for  we  had  double  charges 
of  powder  in  our  weapons.  On  receiving  the  shots  he 
dropped  a  volume  of  water  from  his  trunk,  and,  tossing 
it  aloft,  uttered  a  loud  cry  and  made  off,  steering  north ; 
but  before  he  was  out  of  our  sight  he  reduced  his  pace 
to  a  slow  walk,  and  I  could  quite  plainly  hear,  by  the 
loud,  painful  breathing  through  his  trunk,  that  he  was 
mortally  wounded ;  but  whether  the  natives  were  too 
lazy  to  seek  him,  or  having  found  him  would  not  tell 
me,  I  know  not,  but  I  never  got  him.  We  shot  another 
bull  elephant  shortly  after  this;  he  too  uttered  a  shrill 
cry,  and  went  off  holding  the  same  course  the  last  one 
did;  that  was,  however,  all  that  I  ever  sav  of  him. 


196  ADVE.NTLRES    IN    SOUTH    AFPaCA. 

It  was  now  wearing  on  toward  morning  :  ihe  moon 
was  low  and  the  sky  was  cloudy ;  and  feeling  very 
sleepy,  I  set  the  two  Bakalahari  to  watch  while  I  lay 
down  to  rest.  Carey  was  already  enjoying  a  sound 
sleep,  and  snoring  loudly.  I  had  lain  nearly  an  hour, 
and  was  neither  waking  nor  sleeping,  when  the  Bakala- 
hari whispered,  "  Clou  toona,  macoa,"  which  signifies 
"  Bull  elephants,  white  man."  I  sat  up  on  my  kaross, 
and  beheld  three  old  bulls  approaching  from  the  west. 
At  this  moment  there  was  a  death-like  calm  in  the 
atmosphere,  and  the  sky  looked  very  threatening  all 
along  the  mountain  range  which  bounds  this  favorite 
elepliant  district  on  the  southwest.  I  greatly  feared 
a  thunder-storm.  Suddenly  a  breeze  came  whistling 
from  the  mountains,  and  gave  these  three  elephants  our 
wind.  We  then  left  the  fountain  and  held  to  our  wag- 
ons, where  we  slept  till  the  sun  rose. 

When  the  sun  rose  I  proceeded  with  the  Bakalahari 
to  inspect  the  spoors  of  the  wounded  elephants.  I  was 
struck  with  astonishment  when  I  thought  over  our 
night's  sport :  nine  times  had  first-rate  old  bull  ele- 
phants come  up  to  drink,  and  we  had  fired  at  eight  of 
these  at  distances  of  from  six  to  ten  yards,  with  cool, 
steady  rests.  Two  of  them  lay  dead  beside  the  fount- 
ain ;  another  had  a  broken  leg,  and  could  not  escape ; 
and  the  only  one  which  we  imagined  had  escaped  was 
the  bull  with  the  wide-set  tusks,  which  we  both  felt 
certain  was  wounded  too  far  back  in  the  body.  Tho 
event,  however,  proved  that  our  expectations  were  in- 
correct, for  that  afternoon  we  found  this  princely  ele- 
phant lying  dead  very  near  our  kraal.  Both  our  shots 
were  very  far  back,  wounding  him  somewhere  about 
the  kidneys.  We  never  saw  any  thing  of  the  four 
other  elephants  shot  by  us      The  bull  with  the  broken 


ELEPHANT    SHOOTING.  197 

leg  had  gone  nearly  a  mile  from  the  fountain  when  we 
came  up  to  him.  At  first  he  made  vain  attempts  to 
escape,  and  then  to  charge;  but  finding  he  could  nei- 
ther escape  nor  catch  any  of  us,  he  stood  at  bay  beside 
a  tree,  and  my  after-riders  began  to  assail  him.  It  was 
curious  to  watch  his  movements  as  the  boys,  at  about 
twenty  yards'  distance,  pelted  him  with  sticks,  &c. 
Each  thing,  as  it  was  thrown,  he  took  up  and  hurled 
back  at  them.  When,  however,  dry  balls  of  elephants' 
dung  were  pitched  at  him,  he  contented  himself  with 
smelling  at  them  with  his  trunk.  At  length,  wishing 
to  put  an  end  to  his  existence,-!  gave  him  four  shots 
behind  the  shoulder,  when  he  at  once  exhibited  signs 
of  distress;  water  ran  from  his  eyes,  and  he  could 
barely  keep  them  open  ;  presently  his  gigantic  furm 
quivered,  and,  falling  over,  he  expired.  At  night  we 
again  watched  the  fountain.  Only  one  elephant  ap- 
peared ;  late  in  the  night  he  came  up  to  leeward,  and 
got  our  wind.  I,  however,  shot  two  fine  old  muohocho, 
or  white  rhinoceroses,  and  wounded  two  or  three  borele, 
which  were  found  by  the  natives. 

On  the  19th  I  proceeded  with  Carey  and  Piet,  and 
a  few  Bakalahari,  to  a  small  fountain  lying  one  mile 
to  the  south  :  here  we  made  two  shooting-boxes  of 
boughs  of  trees.  There  were  three  pools  at  which  the 
game  drank,  the  largest  not  being  more  than  twelve 
feet  in  breadth.  I  and  Carey  at  night  shot  one  fine 
bull  elephant  and  four  rhinoceroses,  wounding  two 
others,  which  escaped.  On  the  night  following  we  also 
wounded  two  elephants,  which  got  away. 

The  next  night  I  put  in  practice  a  novel  experiment 
I  had  long  entertained — that  of  hunting  elephants  by 
moonlight  with  dogs  and  horses,  as  in  the  day,  being 
very  much  annoyed  at  wounding  and  losing  in  the  last 


198  ADVENrURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

week  no  less  than  ten  first-rate  old  bull  elephants.  I 
communicated  my  idea  to  "  Stick-in-the-mud,"  and  we 
hastily  proceeded  to  saddle  m}-  steed.  I  led  my  dogs, 
eight  in  number,  through  the  forest  to  leeward  of  where 
a  bull  who  had  come  to  the  fountain  to  drink  had  gone 
in,  and  when  I  saw  that  they  had  got  his  wind  I  slipped 
them.  They  dashed  forward,  and  next  minute  I  fol- 
lowed the  baying  of  the  dogs  and  the  crash  and  the 
trumpet  of  the  elephant.  He  rushed  away  at  first 
without  halting,  and  held  right  for  the  mountains  to 
the  southwest.  When,  however,  he  found  that  his 
speed  did  not  avail,  and  that  he  could  not  get  away 
from  his  pursuers,  he  began  to  turn  and  dodge  about 
in  the  thickest  of  the  cover,  occasionally  making 
charges  after  the  dogs.  I  followed  on  as  best  I  could, 
shouting  with  all  my  might  to  encourage  my  good 
hounds.  These,  hearing  their  master's  voice  beside 
them,  stuck  well  by  the  elephant,  and  fought  him  bet- 
ter than  in  the  day.  I  gave  him  my  first  two  shots 
from  the  saddle;  after  which  I  rode  close  up  to  him, 
and,  running  in  on  foot,  gave  him  some  deadly  shots 
at  distances  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  yards. 

The  elephant  very  soon  evinced  signs  of  distress,  and 
ceased  to  make  away  from  us.  Taking  up  positions  in 
the  densest  parts  of  the  cover,  he  caught  up  the  red 
dust  with  his  trunk,  and,  throwing  it  over  his  head  and 
back,  endeavored  to  conceal  himself  in  a  cloud.  This 
was  a  fine  opportunity  to  pour  in  my  deadly  shafts,  and 
I  took  care  to  avail  myself  of  it.  When  he  had  re- 
ceived about  twelve  shots,  he  walked  slowly  forward  in 
a  dying  state,  the  blood  streaming  from  his  trunk.  1 
rode  close  up  to  him,  and  gave  him  a  sharp  right  and 
left  from  the  saddle  :  he  turned  and  walked  a  few  yards, 
then  suddenly  came  down  with  tremendous  violence  on 


HUNTING  BY  MOONLIGHT  WITH  HORSE  AND  DOGS.  199 

his  vast  stern,  pitching  his  head  and  trunk  aloft  to  a 
prodigious  height,  and,  falling  heavily  over  on  his  side, 
expired.  This  was  an  extremely  large  and  handsome 
elephant,  decidedly  the  finest  bull  I  had  shot  this  year. 
Afraid  of  taking  cold  or  rheumatism,  for  I  v^^as  in  a 
most  profuse  perspiration,  I  hastened  back  to  my  fire- 
side, having  first  secured  all  the  dogs  in  their  couples. 
Here  I  divested  myself  of  my  leather  trowsers,  shoot- 
ing-belt, and  veldt-schoens,  and,  stretched  on  my  ka- 
ross,  I  took  tea,  and  wondered  at  the  facility  with  whicl' 
T  had  captured  this  mighty  elephant. 

Feeling  fatigued,  I  intended  to  lie  down  and  rest  till 
morning.  Just,  however,  as  I  was  arranging  my  sad- 
dles for  a  pillow,  I  beheld  another  first-rate  old  bull  ele- 
phant advancing  up  the  vley  from  the  south.  I  at  once 
resolved  that  he,  too,  should  run  the  gauntlet  with  the 
dogs.  In  immense  haste,  therefore,  I  once  more  pulled 
on  my  old  leathers,  and  buckled  on  my  shooting-belt, 
and  ran  down  into  the  rank  long  grass  beside  the  fount- 
ain to  meet  him,  armed  with  the  large  two-grooved  rifle, 
having  directed  Carey  and  Piet  to  come  slowly  up  with 
the  dogs  and  my  horse  and  gun  as  soon  as  they  were 
ready.  The  elephant  came  on,  and  sfood  drinking 
within  thirty  yards  of  me.  When  I  saw  Carey  coming 
on  with  the  dogs  and  steed,  I  fired,  but  my  rifle  hung 
fire.  The  shot,  however,  gave  the  dogs  good  courage, 
and  they  fought  well.  The  elephant  took  away  at  a 
rapid  pace  toward  the  other  fountain  where  the  Be- 
chuanas  lay,  and  at  first  led  me  through  very  bad  wait- 
a-bit  thorn  cover,  which  onee  or  twice  nearly  swept  me 
out  of  the  saddle.  Presently  he  inclined  to  the  west, 
and  got  into  better  country;  I  then  rode  closo  to  him, 
and  bowled  him  over  with  four  shots. 

The  next  morning,  my  ammunition  beuig  expended, 


200  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

or  very  nearly  so,  I  dispatched  Carey  to  camp  for  fresh 
supplies.  After  he  had  gone  I  walked  through  the  for- 
est, when  I  observed  "  Frochuni"  snuff  up  the  wind 
and  go  ahead.  I  soon  saw  him  returning,  with  two 
jackals  trotting  behind  him,  so  I  at  once  knew  that 
there  was  some  game  lying  dead  in  advance.  When 
I  had  proceeded  a  little  further  the  dogs  ran  forward, 
and  next  moment  a  rush  of  many  feet  was  heard  charg- 
ing toward  where  I  stood.  It  was  a  troop  of  half-grown 
lions,  with  a  lioness,  which  dashed  past  me,  followed 
by  the  dogs.  They  had  been  feasting  on  a  white  rhi- 
noceros, shot  by  me  two  nights  previously,  which  I 
found  lying  a  little  in  advance.  Beside  the  ca.,  dss 
stood  a  fine  fat  calf — the  poor  thing,  no  doubt,  fancying 
that  its  mother  slept ;  heedless  of  lions,  and  all  the  other 
creatures  that  had  trodden  there,  it  had  remained  be- 
side its  dead  mother  for  a  day  and  two  nights.  Rhi- 
noceros' calves  always  stick  to  their  mothers  long  after 
they  are  dead.  The  next  night  I  was  again  successful 
in  a  night-hunt,  and  bagged  a  very  fine  bull  elephant. 
This  wound  up  my  elephant  night-shooting  for  that 
moon,  for  next  day  there  was  a  most  awful  thunder- 
storm, which  filled  the  forest  with  large  pools  of  water. 
While  reviewing  my  extraordinary  good  fortune  dur- 
ing the  last  week's  hunting,  I  could  not  help  deeply  re- 
gretting that  I  had  not  earlier  thought  of  pursuing  the 
elephants  at  night  with  dogs  and  horses  :  if  I  had  com- 
menced with  the  dogs  only  a  week  sooner,  I  might  have 
bagged  eight  or  ten  first-rate  bulls,  which  I  knew  were 
mortally  wounded,  but  were,  nevertheless,  not  forthcom- 
ing. The  ivory  of  these  elephants  would  have  brought 
me  in  upward  of  ^200 ;  and  it  was  vexing  to  think 
that  many,  if  not  all  of  them,  were  lying  rotting  in  the 
surrounding  fcrest.     Isly  orly  chance  of  finding  them 


HUNTING    TROPHIES.  201 

was  by  watching  the  vultures ;  but  these  birds,  know- 
ing that  they  can  not  break  the  skin  of  the  larger  game, 
preferred  remaining  above  and  around  the  Bechuanas, 
where  the  butchering  was  going  briskly  forward.  They 
perched  in  groups  upon  the  old  branches  of  the  larger 
trees,  or  darkened  the  sky  in  hundreds  with  their  broad 
and  shadowy  wings. 

AVhile,  however,  I  mourned  the  loss  of  these  wound- 
ed elephants,  T  reckoned  that  I  had  been  favored  with 
immense  good  fortune  in  many  instances  during  the 
past  week.  Ever  intent  upon  embellishing  and  in- 
creasing my  princely  collection  of  African  hunting  tro- 
phies, I  placed  great  value  upon  any  specimen  I  hap- 
pened to  shoot  which  I  thought  worth  adorning  it. 
Thus  I  neglected  my  real  interest;  and  instead  of  de- 
voting my  attention  to  rendering  my  expedition  profit- 
able, I  allowed  this  very  necessary  part  of  the  business 
to  remain  quite  a  secondary  consideration.  Thus,  when 
I  shot  an  ordinary  bull  elephant,  I  was  accustomed  to 
say  to  myself,  "  Ah !  a  good  bull  ;  tusks  at  least  fifty 
pounds  each  ;  45.  6d.  a  pound  ;  bring  me  in  d£22  IO5. 
Capital  day's  work  ;  help  me  to  pay  for  the  two  horses 
that  died  last  week,  or  the  four  that  are  bitten  with 
'  tsetse,'  and  must  die  in  a  week  or  two."  But  if,  on 
the  other  hand,  I  shot  an  elephant  with  a  pair  of  tusks 
of  unusual  size,  perfection,  or  beauty,  I  at  once  devoted 
them  to  my  collection,  and  valued  them  at  a  ten-fold 
price.  This,  then,  was  one  thing  in  which  I  reckoned 
I  had  been  extremely  fortunate — I  had  secured  the 
finest  tusks  in  all  that  nest  of  patriarchal  old  bulls 
which  I  had  so  sadly  cut  up  in  one  short  week,  and 
which,  perhaps,  the  summers  of  a  century  had  seen 
roaming  through  these  boundlcs?  forests  in  peaceful 
Becurity. 

12 


202  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

The  night-shooting  being  at  an  end,  on  the  23cl  1 
retraced  my  steps  to  the  dead  elephants,  to  assist  Ca- 
rey in  superintending  the  cutting  out  of  the  ivory,  and 
in  escorting  the  same  along  with  our  supply  of  fat  and 
flesh  to  the  wagons.  Early  in  the  afternoon  we  had 
got  all  ready  for  a  start.  The  Bechuana  captains  who 
were  there,  and  had  appropriated  my  elephants  and 
rhinoceroses,  and  nearly  all  the  fat,  then  brought  up 
about  fifty  men,  who  shouldered  my  impedimenta,  and 
we  marched  for  camp.  Carey  went  in  front,  I  rode  in 
the  middle,  and  my  after-riders  brought  up  the  rear. 
This  long  line  of  naked  savages  thridding  the  mazes  of 
the  forest,  and  bearing  home  the  spoils  of  a  few  days' 
hunting,  formed  a  truly  interesting  and  unusual  pic- 
ture. Every  man  that  was  there  carried  something  of 
mine  :  some  led  the  dogs,  some  carried  the  guns  and 
extra  ammunition,  some  cooking  vessels,  axes,  sickles, 
water-calabashes,  provisions,  rhinoceroses'  horns,  the 
elephant's  teeth,  and  an  immense  supply  of  flesh  and 
fat,  &c.,  &c.  We  made  the  Limpopo  as  the  sun  went 
down,  which  we  crossed  all  right,  and  brought  every 
thing  safe  to  camp.  I  made  other  excursions  from  this 
encampment  in  quest  of  elephants,  in  which  I  was  very 
successful ;  but,  as  they  did  not  differ  in  their  details 
from  the  many  already  described,  I  shall  not  run  the 
risk  of  wearying  my  reader  with  an  account  of  them. 

On  the  30th  one  of  those  minor  accidents  occurred 
which  the  hunter  in  these  parts  must  be  prepared  con- 
tinually to  encounter.  As  I  awoke  that  morning,  I 
heard  a  scream  which  denoted  that  "  Prince,"  a  most 
worthless  dog,  was  consumed  by  a  crocodile.  There 
were  several  of  these  terrible  animals  frequenting  the 
still  deep  stream  beside  which  we  lay.  They  seemed 
ever  to  be  on  the  look-out  for  prey,  and  I  have  not  the 


IVORY    STOLEN.  203 

slightest  doubt  they  would  have  taken  one  of  us  if  we 
had  ventured  in. 

On  the  2d  of  October,  in  the  morning,  we  packed 
the  cap-tent  wagon,  and  stowed  carefully  away  in  grass 
my  favorite  tusks,  which  I  intended  to  keep  as  speci- 
mens. 

The  next  afternoon,  while  making  for  the  fountain 
called  Sstoque,  accompanied  by  Kapain  and  a  party 
-from  Bamangwato,  I  observed  a  number  of  crows  and 
vultures^  and  came  across  the  spoor  of  a  party  of  Bak- 
alah'ari.  I  at  once  felt  convinced  that  one  of  my  wound- 
ed elephants  lay  rotting  near  me,  but,  the  sun  being 
nearly  under,  I  did  not  then  wait,  resolving  to  seek  it 
at  another  time ;  Kapain  promised  to  send  two  of  his 
companions  early  next  morning  to  see  if  I  had  not  sur- 
mised correctly.  These  men  next  day  arrived,  bear- 
ing some  putrid  fat  which  they  had  got  from  the  Bak- 
alaliari;  and  I  at  once  said,  "Oh,  you  have  found  my 
dead  elephant?"  They  answered,  "  Yes,  but  the  tusks 
are  stolen."  They  also  said  that  they  had  not  seen  any 
others  of  their  tribe,  but  that  they  had  cut  that  fat  out 
of  the  elephant.  Kapain  then  promised  me  to  do  his 
best  to  recover  the  ivory  for  me  ;  but  I  found  out,  very 
soon  afterward,  that  he  was  playing  me  false.  Next 
day  I  shot  an  old  bull  elephant. 

On  the  5th  I  began  to  think  of  hunting  no  more 
across  the  Limpopo,  as  the  season  of  rain  was  up;  and 
any  day  1  might  come  to  the  river,  returning  from  hunt- 
ing, and  find  myself  cut  off  from  camp  by  a  mighty 
stream,  which  would  probably  remain  impassable  for 
months.  I  also  wished  to  save,  if  possible,  one  or  two 
of  my  horses  from  tha  "  tsetse,"  as  my  stud  was  now  re- 
duced to  five.  I  therefore  resolved  to  return  at  once  to 
camp,  and  cross  the  Limpopo  no  more.    After  an  early 


204  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

breakfast  I  marched  thither,  with  thirteen  Bechuanas 
bearing  the  tusks,  flesh,  &c. 

On  my  way  I  visited  the  remains  of  the  elephant 
whieh  Kapain's  men  hac.  found  ;  it  was  the  carcass  of 
an  enormous  old  bull,  no  doubt  the  elephant  which  I 
had  first  shot  on  the  night  of  the  16th  of  last  month, 
for  I  had  followed  his  spoor  to  within  half  a  mile  of  the 
sj)ot.  His  tusks  were  stolen  as  reported  ;  they  had  not 
been  cut  out,  but  drawn.  The  skull  remained  perfect," 
and  was  finely  cleaned  by  hyaenas,  vultures,  and  in- 
sects. On  beholding  the  carcass,  I  at  once  knew  that 
Kapain  had  lied  in  saying  that  his  men  had  cut  the  fat 
I  saw  with  them  out  of  the  elephant,  for  it  was  evi- 
dent that  all  flesh  and  fat  had  been  at  an  end  many 
days  previously  :  the  tusks,  however,  had  quite  lately 
been  drawn,  perhaps  on  the  preceding  day.  I  felt  quite 
certain  that  Kapain  was  deceiving  me,  so  I  at  once 
charged  him  with  falsehood,  and  resolved  in  my  own 
mind  to  take  some  very  strong  measures  for  the  recov- 
ery of  the  tusks.  I  suspected  that  a  tribe  of  Bakala- 
hari,  who  lived  not  far  from  the  elephant,  upon  the  riv- 
er, knew  all  about  the  tusks,  for  there  were  no  other 
natives  in  that  district ;  so  I  resolved  to  ride  to  the  vil- 
lage early  next  morn,  and  threaten  to  shoot  the  chief 
if  the  teeth  did  not  quickly  appear. 

Accordingly,  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  before  it  was 
clear,  four  steeds  were  saddled,  and,  having  taken  cof- 
fee, I  crossed  the  Limpopo,  accompanied  by  Carey,  John, 
and  Piet,  bearing  double-barreled  guns,  and  held  down 
the  river  side  for  the  Bakalahari  village,  which  we  made 
in  about  an  hour.  As  soon  as  I  observed  the  hcises, 
I  dashed  across  their  corn-lands  |it  a  racing  pai-z,  and 
was  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  natives  befo  r  they 
were  aware  of  my  approach. 


THE    IVORY    RECOVERED.  205 

The  chief  whom  I  wanted  sat  in  the  forum  with  most 
of  his  men  ;  so,  dismounting  from  my  horse,  I  walked 
up  to  them,  and  sat  down  on  the  ground  in  native  cus- 
tom, and,  taking  snufF myself,  handed  it  round.  While 
I  was  doin^  this,  John  and  Carey,  armed,  occu'pied  the 
two  places  of  exit  from  the  forum.  I  sat  silent  for  a 
little,  and  then  said,  "  My  heart  is  very  bitter  with  the 
chief  of  this  village.  You  were  hungry,  and  I  killed 
much  flesh  and  fat  for  you.  I  told  you  that  many  of 
my  elephants  were  lying  dead,  and  that  1  wanted  their 
teeth.  You  promised  me  to  watch  the  vultures,  and 
bring  me  the  teeth.  I  have  traced  your  spoor  home 
from  one  of  these  elephants.  Why  did  the  tusks  not 
come  to  my  wagons  ?  I  do  not  want  to  shed  your 
blood,  but  I  require  the  teeth  to  be  laid  immediately 
before  me." 

They  all  immediately  exclaimed,  "  The  teeth  are 
forthcoming,  they  are  forthcoming  :  wait  a  little,  chief 
of  the  white  men.  We  saw  the  vultures,  and  hid  the 
teeth  for  you."  I  was  delighted  to  hear  this,  but  I  pre- 
tended still  to  be  very  angry,  and  answered,  "My  heart 
is  still  very  bitter,  for  you  should  have  brought  the  teeth 
at  once  to  me,  and  not  caused  me  to  come  with  guns  to 
seek  my  teeth."  The  chief  then  at  once  dispatched 
five  or  six  active  men  to  bring  the  teeth  ;  and  Bechu- 
ana  beer  and  porridge  were  placed  before  me.  In  an 
hour  the  men  returned,  bearing  the  tusks  of  my  lost 
elephant.  I  was  right  glad  to  see  them;  they  were  im- 
mense teeth,  and  very  finely  arched,  and  almost  per- 
fect. I  then  chose  some  skins  of  koodoo  and  blue  wilde- 
beests out  of  their  kraals  for  packing  my  ivory  in  the 
wagons,  for  which4  promised  them  beads;  after  which 
[  returned  to  camp,  the  natives  going  befoie  mc,  bear- 
ing the  teeth  and  skins.     These  men  had  drawn  the 


206  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

tusks,  and  concealed  them  somewhere  close  to  the  car- 
cass of  the  elephant.  Here  they  would  most  probably 
have  been  concealed  until  I  had  left  the  country,  when 
they  would  have  forwarded  them  to  their  chief.  Just 
as  we  reached  the  drift  we  met  a  string  of  natives  re- 
turning from  my  last  elephant,  bearing  flesh  and  fat. 
This  was  a  fine  opportunity  for  a  seizure.  I  selected 
several  large  bundles  of  the  flesh  and  some  fat,  and 
marched  the  same  to  camp  on  the  shoulders  of  the 
Bakalahari,  along  with  the  ivory.  When  Kapain  saw 
us  arrive  at  camp,  he  was  utterly  confounded,  and  be- 
gan to  abuse  the  Bakalahari ;  thereupon  I  bundled  him 
out  of  the  kraal.  In  the  afternoon  we  packed  the  ivory 
in  the  baggage-wagon  ;  it  had  hitherto  lain  loose  in  the 
kraal.  There  were  fifty-three  tusks  of  bull,  and  sev- 
enteen tusks  of  cow  elephants.  Three  pairs  of  these 
bulls'  teeth  I  intended  to  keep  in  my  collection ;  in  the 
cap-tent  wagon  were  seven  pairs  of  picked  bulls'  tusks, 
and  two  pairs  of  cow  elephants'  tusks,  all  of  which  I 
likewise  devoted  to  my  collection. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

We  inarch  up  the  Limpopo — The  Gnapa  Mountains — Immense  Variety 
of  Game — Stalk  and  shoot  two  Sable  Antelopes — Several  Hounds 
lost — Romantic  Ravine  in  the  Guapa  Mountains — My  Forest  Home 
—Buck  Koodoos — Stalking  Sable  Antelopes — Two  of  my  Horses  die 
from  Tsetse — Continue  our  March — Countless  Herds  of  Game. 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th  of  October  we  packed  the 
wagons,  and  about  mid-day  inspanned  and  left  the  Bak-. 
alahari  village,  where  we  had  lain  for  nearly  six  weeks. 


LEAVE    THE    LIMPOPO.  207 

The  old  chief  of  these  B-akalahari  looked  extremely 
down-hearted  when  he  saw  ns  preparing  to  depart,  and 
could  hardly  refrain  from  crying.  I  had  come  there 
and  found  them  starving;  but  ever  since  my  arrival 
they -had  had  more  good  flesh  and  fat  than  they  could 
eat.  I  had  also  employed  the  women  to  stamp  my  bar- 
ley and  Bechuana  corn,  and  had  always  rewarded  them 
liberally  with  beads,  which  they  made  into  native  orna- 
ments, and  with  which  they  adorned  their  persons.  The 
old  chief  was  distinguished  by  a  snake-skin,  which  he 
wore  round  his  head.  I  gave  him  some  presents  at 
parting,  and  we  then  trekked,  holding  up  the  river,  but 
at  a  considerable  distance  from  it,  the  Limpopo  having 
at  this  part  a  very  considerable  bend.  In  the  evening 
we  came  again  upon  the  river,  and  halted  at  our  old 
kraal, where  I  had  been  troubled  with  lions  on  the  5th 
of  August.  On  the  march  I  lost  "Argyll,"  my  best 
dog,  of  whom  I  have  often  made  mention  in  former  ex- 
peditions, he  having  weathered  my  two  campaigns  in 
the  Bamangwato  country.  He  was  strangled  on  the 
trap  of  the  wagon,  where  he  was  coupled  along  with 
the  other  dogs.  I  now  resolved  to  leave  the  Limpopo, 
and  explore  the  country  in  a  northwesterly  direction 
I  was  accompanied  by  a  large  body  of  Sicomy's  men. 
These  scoundrels  would  not  give  me  any  information 
^,her  as  to  water  or  elephants,  excepting  in  one  direc- 
tion which  suited  themselves,  invariably  answering  my 
questions  with,  "  There  is  no  water  in  that  direction  ; 
there  are  no  elephants  there."  Thus  I  was  left  en- 
tirely in  the  dark  how  to  proceed,  and  was  obliged  to 
use  my  own  discretion.  About  due  northwest  from 
where  we  lay,  a  bold  mountain  range  rose  blue  above 
the  forest.  Thither  in  the  morning  I  directed  our  course, 
and  in  the  evening  we  halted  at  a  small  vley,  which  I 


208  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

found  by  following  an  elephant  foot-path,  the  rascally 
Bechuanas  swearing  that  we  should  not  find  water  till 
sundown  next  day.  On  the  inarch  we  started  an  os- 
trich from  her  nest,  in  which  we  found  sixteen  large 
serviceable  eggs.  The  country  through  which  we'pass- 
ed  was  very  soft  and  sandy,  the  forest  often  so  dense  as 
to  compel  us  to  halt  and  use  our  axes. 

On  the  13th  we  reached  a  strong  succession  of  fount- 
ains, formJng  a  running  stream  of  pure  water.  Here 
the  country  became  extremely  beautiful ;  a  very  wide 
and  finely- wooded  valley  stretched  away  into  the  bosom 
of  the  mountains,  ending  in  a  bold  ravine.  This  district 
I  discovered  to  be  the  abode  of  a  considerable  tribe  call- 
ed "Moroking."  Their  cultivated  corn-lands  stretched 
away  on  every  side  of  the  fountain.  Here  I  outspan- 
ned,  and  presently  the  chief  and  all  his  people  came  to 
me,  highly  pleased  that  I  had  visited  them.  These 
men  were  dependents  of  Sicomy,  and,  for  some  reason 
which  I  could  not  comprehend,  had  been  instructed  by 
the  Bamangwato  natives  not  to  give  me  any  informa- 
tion regarding  the  elephants  or  the  waters  in  advance. 
At  night  we  were  visited  by  a  terrible  and  long-pro- 
tracted thunder-storm,  and  much  rain  fell,  rendering 
the  country  very  unfit  for  trekking. 

The  next  morning  I  shot  a  large  wild  goose,  a  splen- 
did bird,  its  general  color  dark  glossy  green,  with  white 
patches  on  its  sides  and  beneath  its  wings.  While 
seeking  for  wild  fowl  along  the  edge  of  the  stream,  I 
almost  trod  upon  the  tail  of  a  fearful  "  cobra,"  which 
instantly  reared  its  head  on  high  and  spread  its  neck 
out  like  the  Indian  cobra.  Before  it  could  strike,  how- 
ever, I  sprang  to  one  side,  and  escaped  its  deadly  fangs ; 
Ruyter  and  I  then  slow  him  with  sticks  and  stones. 
The  chief  of  the  "  Moroking,"  and  all  his  people,  both 


A    BEAUTIFUL    WOOD-PIGEON,  209 

mon  and  women,  came  again  to  see  the  white  men,  the 
wagons,  and  the  oxen;  they  still  persisted  in  saying  that 
there  were  no  elephants  in  advance.  As  the  country  was 
now  quite  unfit  for  trekking,  and  probably  I  might  not 
find  elephants  until  I  had  proceeded  to  a  great  distance, 
I  resolved  to  turn  back.  Accordingly,  after  bre&kfast 
we  trekked,  and  halted  for  the  night  at  the  fountain 
we  had  left  on  the  preceding  day.  On  the  march  I  shot 
an  extremely  beautiful  wood-pigeon :  its  back  and  tail 
were  grass  green,  its  thighs  bright  orange,  its  bill  and 
feet  bright  coral  red. 

On  the  15th,  at  sunrise,  we  inspanned,  and  held  on 
until  late  in  the  afternoon,  steering  for  the  mountain 
of  Guapa,  where  I  had  seen  sable  antelope  on  the  16th 
of  July.  We  halted  for  the  night  without  water;  dur- 
ing the  night  rain  fell.  On  the  march  we  saw  ispoor 
of  eland;  my  troop  of  dogs  took  away  after  a  herd  of 
zebras,  one  of  which  broke  Filbert's  shoulder  with  a 
kick,  so  I  was  obliged  to  shoot  him.  This  was  a  sad 
loss  to  me;  Filbert  was  the  best  dog  I  had  left. 

Next  day,  at  dawn,  we  marched,  holding  for  a  vley 
close  under  the  blue  mountain  in  advance.  Having  pro- 
ceeded some  miles  we  fell  in  with  springboks,  zebras, 
blue  gnoos;  and  soon  after,  to  my  surprise,  an  old  bull 
kookama  or  oryx,  carrying  a  superb  pair  of  horns,  start- 
ed away  before  the  wagons.  My  dogs  were  fresh  and 
hungry :  they  were  instantly  slipped,  and  dashed  for 
ward  on  the  scent  of  the  oryx.  Unluckily,  a  wild  dog 
sprang  up  right  in  their  path,  to  which  they  at  once 
gave  chase,  and  thus  I  lost  this  most  splendid  ante- 
lope. 

I  walked  ahead  of  the  wagons  with  my  rifle,  and 
soon  started  two  pairs  of  ostriches.  I  was  going  down 
wind,  and  kept  starting  the  game.     I  next  sent  away 


210  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

a  herd  of  zebras  and  brindled  gnoos  ;  next  a  sounder  cA 
wild  boar;  next  a  troop  of  giraffes;  and,  close  to  tha 
vley  where  I  intended  to  halt,  I  wounded  a  koodoo, 
which  left  a  bloody  spoor,  that  I  did  not  choose  to  fol- 
low. The  vley  to  which  I  had  been  trusting  proved 
dry.  We  outspanned  here  for  an  hour,  however,  and 
then  held  round  the  westeru  extremity  of  this  fine 
mountain  range;  and  as  the  sun  went  down,  I  halted 
my  wagons  on  its  south  side,  opposite  the  mouth  of  a 
bold  and  well-wooded  ravine,  which  contained  a  strong 
fountain.  On  the  march  I  rode  ahead  of  my  wagons 
on  the  spoor  of  two  old  bull  buffaloes,  which  our  wagon- 
whips  had  started;  these  had  gone  out  of  my  course, 
so  I  did  not  follow  far.  Returning,  I  came  to  a  black 
rhinoceros,  which  I  wounded,  but  did  not  get.  As  I 
neared  the  ravine  where  I  intended  to  halt,  I  stalked 
in  close  upon  a  second  black  rhinoceros,  which,  on  re- 
ceiving two  deadly  shots,  charged  madly  forward  and 
subsided  in  the  dust.  A  few  minutes  after  firing  at 
Borele  I  was  following  a  troop  of  pallahs  close  under 
the  green,  rocky-mountain,  when,  lo!  a  herd  of  the  love- 
ly sable  antelope  caught  my  attention.  These  were 
quietly  browsing  on  a  shoulder  of  the  mountain  among 
the  green  trees  far,  far  above  me.  I  instantly  threw 
off  my  leathers,  and  proceeded  to  stalk  in  upon  tliem. 
An  old  doe  detected  me,  however,  and,  instantly  sound- 
ing the  alarm,  the  herd,  which  consisted  of  eight — three 
coal-black  bucks  and  five  does  —  dashed  off,  and  took 
through  a  wild,  rocky  ravine. 

As  it  was  too  late  in  the  day  to  follow  them  further, 
I  turned  my  face  toward  my  horses,  which  I  had  left  at 
the  base  of  the  mountain;  and,  straining  my  eyes  along 
the  level  forest  beneath  me  to  seek  my  wagons,  which 
were  now  due,   I  detected   them   far  out   Irom  tho 


STALKING    SABLE    ANTELOPES.  211 

mountain,  steering  to  go  past  the  fountain.  I  then  fired 
a  signal  shot,  wliich  brought  them  up.  This  unlucky 
shot  started  away  two  bull  elephants  which  were  feed' 
ing  in  the  thorn  cover  close  beneath  me.  I  drew  up 
my  wagons  in  an  open  spot  more  than  half  a  mile  from 
the  fountain,  wait-a-bit  thorns  forbidding  our  nearer  ap- 
proach. 

The  17th  was  a  very  cool  and  cloudy  day;  I  took  an 
early  breakfast,  and  then  held  northeast,  close  in  under 
the  mountain  range,  accompanied  by  Kapain  and  a 
party  of  Bakalahari,  to  seek  elephants. 

We  fell  in  with  immense  herds  of  zebras  and  buffa- 
loes, numbering  between  three  and  five  hundred  in 
each  herd,  and  toward  evening  with  a  numerous  herd 
of  elephants,  when  I  killed  one  of  the  finest  after  an 
easy  chase. 

After  several  unsuccessful  stalks  for  sable  antelope, 
I  at  length  met  with  the  success  my  perseverance  de- 
served. Returning  in  the  afternoon  of  the  20th  home- 
ward, I  suddenly  observed  a  herd  of  about  ten  of  them 
in  thick  cover  on  the  mountain's  ridge.  I  commenced 
ascending  the  rugged  acclivity  as  fast  as  I  could,  for  the 
daylight  would  be  gone  in  a  very  short  time.  When 
[  had  got  within  two  hundred  yards  of  them,  I  found  it 
almost  impossible  to  get  in  any  nearer,  as  I  must  cross 
a  stony  flat  in  sight  of  several  of  the  ever- wary  does ; 
it  was,  moreover,  now  so  late  that  I  could  not  well  see 
the  sights  of  my  rifle.  I  had  almost  resolved  not  to  dis- 
turb them,  and  to  return  to  camp:  on  second  thoughts, 
however,  I  resolved  to  give  it  a  trial.  I  made  a  suc- 
cessful stalk,  and  crossed  this  dangerous  rocky  flat  un- 
observed. There  was  no  moss  nor  heather  under  my 
knees,  but  a  mass  of  sharp,  adamantine  fragments  of 
rock,  yet  this  I  did  not  heed. 


212  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

Having  crossed  the  flat,  I  soon  stalked  within  shot, 
when,  raising  my  rifle  slowly,  I  fired  at  a  lovely  olil  doa 
which  stood  on  my  left.  The  ball  passed  right  through 
her  a  little  behind  the  shoulder;  she  bounded  down  hill, 
when  I  fired  my  second  barrel  at  her,  but,  owing  to  the 
darkness,  I  missed.  The  potaquaines  above  me,  seeing 
nothing  and  smelling  nothing,  stood  bewildered  until  I 
had  reloaded,  lying  on  my  side.  I  then  shot  anothei 
splendid  doe  with  a  perfect  pair  of  wide-set  horns,  put- 
ting two  bullets  through  her  fore  quarters.  She,  how- 
ever, took  two  more  balls  before  she  lay,  when  I  put  a 
fifth  bullet  into  her  to  stop  her  kicking,  as  she  was  in- 
juring her  horns  on  the  rocky  ground.  By  this  time 
the  sun  was  under  and  the  moon  shone  bright.  High- 
ly gratified  at  my  success,  I  now  cut  oft'  this  magnifi- 
cent antelope's  head,  and  descended  the  mountain  with 
a  slow  and  careful  step.  The  other  potaquaine  did  not 
leave  the  ground,  and  I  got  her  also  next  day. 

I  now  reckoned  my  collection  of  African  trophies  as 
almost  perfect.  Last  year  I  shot  an  old  buck  pota- 
quaine in  the  Bamangwato  country,  which  I  had  care- 
fully preserved  ;  and  I  had  now  shot  two  splendid  does, 
which  was  what  I  most  particularly  required  to  com- 
plete my  collection.  I  still  wanted  heads  of  the  "  blue- 
buck"  or  "  kleenbok,"  "Vaal  rheebok,"  "  ourebi,"  and 
"  reitbok  ;"  but  these  were  abundant  in  the  colony, 
and  were  not  hard  to  get. 

Next  morning  I  ascended  the  mountain  to  secure  the 
flesh  of  the  dead  potaquaine  and  to  secure  the  wounded 
one.  I  found  her  still  alive,  and  on  seeing  me  she  made 
ofl";  T,  however,  followed  her  up,  and,  making  a  correct 
stalk  barefooted,  I  shot  her  where  she  stood  :  she  proved 
a  very  old  doe. 

The  23d  was  a  very  cool  and  cloudy  mornin",.  and 


A   WOUNDED    POTAQUAINE.  213 

looked  likely  for  light  rain.  At  an  early  hour  I  left 
my  wagons  with  some  provisions,  and  ascended  the 
mountain  to  the  northeast  to  seek  sable  antelope.  Soon 
after  gaining  the  upper  heights  of  the  mountain  I  had 
the  satisfaction  to  detect  a  fine  herd  of  these  feeding 
among  the  trees  on  the  table  summit  of  a  ridge  of  the 
mountain,  which  stretched  away  to  the  east.  I  de- 
termined to  stalk  them  in  true  Highland  fashion,  and 
to  use  my  very  best  endeavors  to  insure  success ;  ac- 
cordingly, having  surveyed  the  ground,  I  made  a  cast 
to  leeward,  and  approached  the  herd  upon  my  belly. 
When  I  got  within  two  hundred  yards  of  them,  I  found 
it  was  impossible  to  approach  nearer  on  that  side,  so  1 
was  obliged  to  creep  away  back  again,  and  try  to  come 
upon  them  from  another  quarter.  When  next  I  crept 
in  the  herd  had  vanished,  and  I  could  not  find  them  for 
some  time.  At  length,  however,  I  came  suddenly  upon 
them,  when  the  herd  rushed  in  a  semicircle  round  me. 
I  ran  forward  as  hard  as  I  could,  and,  pulling  suddenly 
up,  fired  at  the  big  black  buck  as  he  dashed  past  me 
at  top  speed ;  the  ball  told  loudly,  and  the  buck  bent 
up  his  back  to  the  shot. 

They  now  charged  for  the  southern  ridge  of  the 
mountain,  and  disappeared  over  it  at  a  tremendous 
pace.  I  quickly  loaded,  and  proceeded  to  take  up  the 
spoor,  and  at  once  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  great 
spouts  of  blood  all  along  the  spoor  of  the  patriarchal  old 
black  buck.  This  gave  me  high  hopes  of  success ;  I 
waited  a  few  minutes,  and  whistled  for  the  Bechuanas, 
who  immediately  came  up  to  me  with  "  Bles"  and  "  Af- 
friar,"  two  right  good  dogs.  When  the  wounded  buck 
had  proceeded  a  short  distance  down  the  mountain's 
face,  lie  l£ft  the  herd  and  slanted  away  by  himself  In 
a  few  minutes,  however,  I  espied  hir   •  ho  .-tood  about 


214  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

three  hundred  yards  from  me,  under  a  low  tree  on  the 
rocky  mountain  side,  with  drooping  head  and  out- 
stretched tail,  which  he  kept  constantly  whisking  from 
side  to  side,  and  was  evidently  extremely  sick.  As  he 
exhibited  no  intention  of  going  further,  and  as  the  wag- 
ons were  near,  I  thought  it  would  be  a  fine  opportunity 
to  give  all  the  dogs  blood ;  so  I  dispatched  Ruyter  to 
camp  to  fetch  them,  and  remained  stationary  and 
watched  the  wounded  potaquaine.  After  standing  in 
one  spot  for  some  time,  he  made  a  few  tottering  steps, 
then  lay  heavily  down  in  the  grass  as  if  dead,  and  noth- 
ng  was  visible  but  his  side. 

This  was  most  satisfactory  :  there,  on  the  side  of  his 
native  rugged  mountain,  lay  the  ever-wary,  the  scarce, 
the  lovely,  long-sought  sable  antelope,  and  a  most  noble 
specimen — perhaps  the  finest  buck  in  all  the  district. 
His  ever- watchful  eye  was  now  sunk  in  the  long  grass ; 
and  as  he  was  lying  beside  a  little  ravine,  and  a  stiff 
breeze  was  blowing,  I  could,  if  I  had  chosen,  have 
crept  in  within  thirty  yards  of  him,  and  shot  him  dead 
on  the  spot ;  but,  so  far  from  doing  this,  I  rather  la- 
mented that  he  was  thus  badly  wounded,  for  I  feared 
that  he  would  not'-have  life  enough  left  to  show  a  good 
fight  when  the  dogs  came  up.  It  has  been  truly  said 
that  there  is  many  a  slip  between  the  cup  and  the  lip, 
and  the  truth  of  this  old  saying  I  was  about  most  bit- 
terly to  experience.  In  half  an  hour  the  Bushman 
came  on  with  three  Bechuanas,  leading  all  my  best 
dogs.  I  went  up  to  the  potaquaine.  He  had  arisen, 
and  was  looking  at  us  as  we  came  on ;  when  I  ap- 
proached within  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  him,  he 
disappeared  over  the  ridge.  I  did  not,  however,  slip 
the  trustless  dogs  until  they  should  be  on  his  scent  or 
Bee  him.    When  I  gained  the  ridge  I  again  beheld  him 


HUNTING    A    WOUNDED    POTAQUAINE.  215 

standing  •within  a  hundred  yards  of  me.  I  now  slipped 
all  my  trustiest  hounds ;  they  ran  forward  toward  the 
buck,  and  then  took  away  up  the  hill,  where,  finding 
nothing,  they  presently  came  down  again,  and,  after 
snuffing  about  for  a  little,  followed  up  the  scent  of  the 
buck. 

All  this  time  the  potaquaine  remained  utterly  mo- 
tionless, regarding  the  dogs  with  a  wicked  eye.  They, 
however,  did  not  observe  him  until  they  were  within 
about  ten  yards  of  him,  when  he  stamped  his  foot,  and 
turned  as  if  to  fight  with  them.  The  dogs  opened  a 
bay,  and  the  next  instant  the  potaquaine  bounded 
through  the  middle  of  them,  and,  holding  down  the 
mountain  side,  was  out  of  my  sight  in  two  seconds,  tho 
dogs  all  at  his  heels. 

I  pressed  forward  in  the  most  perfect  confidence  of 
an  immediate  bay  ;  but,  when  I  obtained  a  view  of  the 
open  forest  around  the  mountain's  base,  nor  dog  nor 
potaquaine  could  I  see,  neither  could  I  hear  a  sound. 
I  thought  the  chase  must  have  led  up  wind,  so  I  held 
on  at  mv  best  pace  along  the  rugged  mountaiii's  side. 

I  gained  shoulder  after  shoulder,  and  opened  fresh 
ground,  but  nothing  living  could  I  see,  nor  could  I  hear 
a  sound.  To  make  matters  worse,  it  was  blowing  half 
a  gale  of  wind.  Most  thoroughly  confounded,  I  now  in 
haste  retraced  my  steps  to  the  natives.  These  useless 
creatures  I  found  sitting  just  where  I  had  slipped  the 
dogs.  In  vain  I  asked  them  whither  they  were  gone ; 
they  only  put  me  wrong,  and  lost  me  the  day  ;  for  they 
declared  that  they  had  watched  the  ground  below  to 
leeward,  and  that  no  dog  had  gone  in  that  course. 
They  had,  however,  gone  that  way,  and  were  at  that 
moment  baying  a  fresh  buck  very  near  me,  but  the  un- 
lucky wind  prevented  me  from  hearing  them.     I  hastilv 


216  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

retraced  ray  steps  once  more  up  wind,  and,  after  pro- 
ceeding a  little  further  than  I  had  been  before,  I  saw 
"  Alert,"  a  very  uncertain  animal  which  I  had  long 
possessed,  returning  toward  me. 

The  dogs  have  then  gone  up  wind,  I  thought  to  my- 
self, and  they  have  the  buck  at  bay  in  advance.  Next 
moment,  however,  to  my  utter  amazement,  I  beheld 
my  wounded  potaquaine  standing  in  the  forest  below 
me,  and  not  a  single  dog  near  him.  I  was  now  sure 
that  my  dogs  had  fallen  in  with  some  other  bucks  which 
I  was  not  aware  of,  and  were  gone  I  knew  not  whither. 
After  waiting  an  hour  for  them,  I  endeavored  to  stalk 
in  on  the  potaquaine:  it  was  bad  ground,  and  he  saw 
me  and  made  off.  He  went  but  a  short  distance,  how- 
ever, and  stood  again  in  a  drooping  attitude  beneath  a 
tree ;  the  Bechuanas  tried  to  drive  him  to  a  position 
which  I  took  up,  when  he  left  the  ground,  and  I  never 
saw  him  again. 

When  I  returned  to  my  camp,  my  people  told  me 
that  the  dogs  had  bayed  a  buck  for  a  long  time  under 
the  mountain,  within  hearing  of  the  wagons,  and  that 
the  sounds  had  died  away,  as  if  they  had  pulled  him 
down  and  killed  him.  On  hearing  this,  I  at  once  sad- 
dled up  two  steeds,  and  rode  in  that  direction  to  seek 
my  dogs,  but  saw  nothing  of  them,  and,  night  setting 
in,  I  returned  to  camp.  Next  day  three  of  the  dogs  re- 
turned ;  they  were  covered  with  the  blood  of  the  pota- 
quaine they  had  killed,  and  one  of  them  was  wounded 
by  his  horns.  I,  however,  never  found  the  remains  of 
either  this  buck  or  the  one  I  had  shot,  nor  did  I  see 
more  of  my  three  good  dogs  which  were  missing;  no 
doubt  they  had  all  been  found  by  the  natives,  and  stolen 
by  them. 

I  resolved  on  the  26th  to  make  an  expedition  on  foot 


A    FOREST    HOME.  217 

across  the  mountain,  and  hunt  in  its  northern  limits 
for  a  few  days.  I  accordinojly  started  with  Ruyter  and 
four  Bechuanas,  bearing  my  bedding,  pots,  water,  and 
other  impedimenta.  Having  ascended  to  the  upper 
heights  of  the  mountain,  I  crossed  to  its  western  ridges, 
and  held  for  its  northern  limits;  and  when  the  sun  went 
down  I  halted  beneath  a  green  tree,  where  I  slept. 

I  made  my  coffee  by  moonlight  before  the  day  dawn- 
ed ;  and  when  it  was  clear,  I  stalked  along  the  upper 
ridges  of  the  mountain.  Presently,  peeping  over  a 
rocky  and  well-wooded  ridge,  I  met  a  small  troop  of 
doe  koodoos,  one  of  which  I  shot  for  food.  Immediate- 
ly below  where  this  koodoo  fell  was  a  lonely  kraal  of" 
Bakalahari.  These  men  had  chosen  for  their  place  of 
residence  a  wild  and  most  romantic  ravine,  which  here 
parted  the  mountain  for  a  distance  of  about  a  mile, 
forming  a  deep  and  almost  impassable  gulf.  At  the 
upper  ejid  of  this  ravine  was  a  most  delicious  fountain, 
forming  a  strong  running  stream,  which  wound  along 
the  shady  depths  of  this  wild  and  most  secluded  spot. 
When  these  Bakalahari  heard  the  report  of  my  rifle 
echoing  through  their  valley,  they  left  their  pots  upon 
their  fires,  and  fled  to  a  man.  My  Bechuanas,  howev- 
er, eventually  got  them  to  come  back  again,  and  they 
cut  up  for  me  my  koodoo,  and  carried  the  flesh  to  a 
shady  tree  on  the  table  summit  of  this  tabular  range, 
immediately  above  the  strong  fountain  in  the  gulf  be- 
neath me. 

This  spot  I  had  selected  to  be  my  forest  home  for  a 
short  time,  and  here  I  spent  some  merry  days,  and 
feasted  like  a  prince  on  fat  venison,  marrow-bones,  Bo- 
chuana  corp,  Bechuana  beer,  tea,  coffee,  biscuit,  &c. 
I  was  also  provided  with  a  rich  dessert  consisting  of  a 
delicious  African  fruit  called  "  moopooroo,"  which  was 

V,,,,.  II.— K 


218  ADVENTURES    IN   SOUTH    AFRICA. 

now  ripe  and  extremely  abundant  throughout  this 
range.  This  fine  fruit  grows  on  a  tree  with  a  very 
dark  green  leaf;  the  fruit  is  the  size  and  shape  of  a 
large  olive,  and  when  ripe  is  bright  orange.  In  the  aft- 
ernoon I  went  out  with  Ruyter,  and  found  four  buck 
koodoos  on  the  northern  ridge  of  the  mountain.  I 
wounded  one  of  these,  and  followed  up  his  bloody  spoor, 
and,  coming  on  him  in  cover  on  the  mountain  side, 
broke  his  fore  leg  with  a  second  shot ;  he,  however,  took 
away  down  to  the  level  forest  beneath,  and  there  I  lost 
him. 

At  earliest  dawn  next  day  I  held  down  wind  with 
Ruyter,  and  presently  found  the  fresh  spoor  of  a  herd 
of  sable  antelope  which  had  got  my  wind,  and  were  off. 
I  then  inclined  my  steps  in  the  direction  in  which  their 
,'5poor  led,  and  presently  observed  them  among  the  trees 
within  three  hundred  yards  of  us,  some  lying  and  some 
standing.  One  of  the  old  does  soon  observed  us.  We 
sat  gently  down  in  the  grass,  however,  and  I  crept 
away  back,  and  made  a  very  fine  stalk  upon  the  herd 
in  very  difficult  ground.  I  was  obliged  to  do  a  hund- 
red and  fifty  yards  of  it  on  my  breast.  A  wary  old  doe 
kept  sentry,  and  prevented  my  approaching  within  a 
hundred  yards.  I  therefore  took  this  doe,  and  shot  her 
with  a  bullet  in  the  shoulder.  I  then  sent  Ruyter  for 
the  natives,  and  at  once  dispatched  the  head  to  camp 
to  be  stuffed. 

In  the  evening  I  fell  in  again  with  this  same  troop 
of  potaquaines  on  the  northern  range  of  the  mountain. 
They  heard  me  coming  on  before  I  was  aware  of  them, 
and  held  up  the  wind  over  very  rocky  ground  and 
through  thick  cover.  I  followed  on  in  their  wake  like 
an  old  stag-hound,  keeping  close  to  them,  and  always 
halting  when  they  halted  ;  thus  they  did  not  observe 


STALKING    SABLE    ANTELOPES.  219 

me,  and  at  last  I  got  close  in  upon  them.  I  could  then 
have  had  a  fine  shot  at  several  of  the  does,  but  I  want- 
ed the  old  black  buck.  I  aimed  for  his  heart,  but  an 
unlucky  branch  intervened,  and,  altering  the  line  of  my 
ball,  lost  me  this  most  noble  animal.  I,  however,  fired 
a  snap  shot  at  him  with  my  left  barrel,  and  sent  a  bul- 
let  through  his  flank.  The  herd  then  dashed  down  the 
mountain  side,  making  a  tremendous  rumpus  among 
the  loose  masses  of  rock,  the  old  buck  leaving  a  bloody 
spoor.  I  did  not  disturb  them  further  then,  the  sun 
being  under,  but  returned  to  my  home  beneath  the 
greenwood  tree.- 

I  followed  the  old  buck  up  next  day,  but  without  suc- 
cess, and  on  the  31st  I  determined  to  return  to  my 
wagons.  Accordingly,  at  dawn  of  day  I  rolled  up  my 
bedding,  and,  directing  my  Bechuanas  to  go  and  call 
Bakalahari  to  carry  my  flesh  and  impedimenta  to  camp, 
I  held  a  southwesterly  course  across  the  mountains  with 
Ruyter  and  a  Bechuana  boy.  This  morning  richly  re- 
paid me  for  all  my  toil  and  exertions  in  following  the 
sable  antelope  throughout  these  stony  and  rugged 
mountains.  Having  proceeded  about  a  mile  down  the 
wind,  on  looking  over  a  height  which  commanded  a 
fine  view  of  well-wooded,  undulating  table-land  below 
me,  I  had  the  sincere  pleasure  to  behold  a  beautiful 
herd  of  sable  antelopes  feeding  quietly  up  the  wind 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  me.  The  herd  consisted 
•of  seven  does  and  one  coal-black  magnificent  old  buck. 
Even  at  the  distance  at  which  they  then  were,  I  could 
very  plainly  see  that  this  buck  was  a  most  superb  spec- 
imen ;  his  horns  seemed  almost  too  large  for  him,  and 
swept  back  over  his  shoulders  with  a  determined  and 
perfect  curve. 

I  sat  some  time  to  watch  their  movements,  and  gazed 


220  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

upon  them  with  intense  delight.  The  ground  on  which 
they  were  feeding  being  very  level,  and  observing  that 
the  does  were  extremely  wary,  I  thought  the  best  way 
to  stalk  them  would  be  to  cut  in  before  them  to  wind- 
ward, as  they  were  proceeding  in  that  direction,  taking 
care,  of  course,  to  keep  out  of  their  way  sufficiently  far 
to  insure  their  not  getting  my  wind.  I  then  crept  back 
from  the  ridge  where  I  had  observed  them,  and,  de- 
scribing a  semicircle,  crept  in  on  my  knees  through 
the  large  rough  stones.  The  does  came  freshly  on,  and 
inclined  their  course  to  the  spot  where  I  lay  flat  on  my 
belly  awaiting  their  forward  movement.  They  contin- 
ued to  approach  until  one  fine  old  doe  was  within  range 
of  my  rifle.  When,  however,  they  had  come  thus  far, 
they  seemed  all  at  once  to  change  their  minds,  and, 
after  feeding  about  for  a  few  minutes,  they  took  anoth- 
er tack,  and  altered  their  course  from  east  to  north.  ] 
then  divested  myself  of  my  shoes  and  shooting-belt,  and 
commenced  following  them  up. 

Presently,  however,  I  observed  a  wary  old  doe,  which 
had  fed  away  among  the  trees  apart  from  her  comrades, 
standing  looking  at  me.  My  position  was  a  very  awk- 
ward one ;  but  I  dared  not  alter  it,  as  this  would  have 
lost  me  the  day  ;  so  I  remained  motionless  as  the  rocks 
over  which  I  crept,  and  presently  her  patience  was  ex- 
hausted, and  she  ceased  to  suspect  me,  and  held  on  to 
her  comrades.  I  now  made  up  my  mind  that  it  was 
impossible  to  do  any  thing  with  them  where  they  then, 
were,  and  that  it  would  be  best  to  watch  them  from  a 
distance  until  they  should  move  into  some  more  uneven 
ground,  where  a  stalker  would  have  some  chance  with 
them. 

Having  thus  resolved,  I  beat  a  retreat,  and  returned 
to  the  ridge  above,  where  I  had  at  first  made  them  out 


STALKING  SABLE  ANTELOPES.  221 

Here  I  again  sat,  and  with  a  longing  heart  watched  the 
movements  of  these  loveliest  of  Afric's  lovely  antelopes. 
I  was  struck  with  admiration  at  the  magnificence  of  the 
noble  old  black  buck,  and  I  vowed  in  my  heart  to  slay 
him,  although  I  should  follow  him  for  a  twelvemonth 
The  old  fellow  seemed  very  fidgety  in  his  movements, 
and  while  the  does  fed  steadily  on,  he  lagged  far  behind, 
occasionally  taking  a  mouthful  of  grass,  and  then  stand- 
ing for  a  few  minutes  under  the  trees,  rubbing  his  huge, 
knotted,  cimeter-shaped  horns  upon  their  branches.  At 
length  the  does  had  fed  away  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
from  him,  and  he  still  lagged  behind.  This  was  the 
golden  moment  to  make  a  rapid  stalk  in  upon  him, 
while  his  ever-watchful  sentinels  were  absent.  I  saw 
my  chance,  and  stole  rapidly  down  the  rocky  hill  side 
and  gained  the  level  on  which  the  herd  were  pasturing. 
He  was  now  obscured  from  my  view  by  the  bushy, 
dwarfish  trees  which  adorned  the  ground  ;  the  next 
move  was  to  get  my  eye  upon  him  before  he  should 
observe  me:  I  stole  stealthily  forward  and  detected 
him.  He  was  still  feeding  very  slowly  on  after  the 
does,  and  seemed  quite  unsuspicious.  I  then  instantly 
cast  off  my  shoes  and  shooting-belt,  and,  watching  the 
lowering  of  his  noble  horns,  my  eye  fixed  tiger-like 
upon  him,  stalked  rapidly  in.  My  heart  beat  with 
anxiety  as  I  advanced,  and  was  almost  within  shot ; 
twenty  yards  nearer,  and  I  would  fire.  Again  he  low- 
ered his  head  to  crop  the  young  grass ;  I  seized  the 
moment,  and  the  twenty  yards  were  won. 

Here  was  a  young  tree  with  a  fork,  from  which  I  had 
resolved  to  fire.  The  potaquaine  stood  with  his  round 
stern  right  to  me.  I  took  a  deadly  aim  and  fired  :  the 
ball  entered  very  near  his  tail,  and,  passing  through  the 
length  of  his  vitals,  rested  in  his  breast.     He  stagger- 


222  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ed  about  for  a  second,  and  then,  bounding  forward  about 
sixty  yards,  halted,  and  looked  back  to  sec  from  whence 
the  deadly  shaft  had  sped  that  had  thus  so  unceretjioni- 
ously  disturbed  his  morning  meal.  The  sights  of  my 
rifle  were  still  fixed  upon  him,  and  just  as  he  pulled 
up  and  exposed  to  me  his  full  broadside,  a  second  bul- 
let left  the  ringing  steel,  and  crashed  through  the  very 
center  of  the  old  fellow's  shoulders. 

On  receiving  this  second  shot,  the  sable  antelope 
wheeled  about  and  held  after  the  does,  and  I  knew  from 
his  movement,  though  his  pace  was  good,  that  he  had 
got  the  ball  in  his  shoulder  and  could  not  go  very  far. 
I  then  walked  leisurely  back  to  seek  my  shoes  and 
shooting-belt,  and,  having  found  them,  was  loading  my 
rifle,  when  the  Bushman,  wdio  had  been  watching  my 
stalk  from  the  height  above,  joined  me,  and  said  that 
the  buck  had  run  but  a  short  distance,  and  had  lain 
down  under  a  tree.  I  stole  carefully  forward,  and  im- 
mediately observed  him  lying  as  if  still  alive,  his  noble 
head  not  laid  on  the  ground,  but  in  an  upright  posture. 
Fancying  him  still  alive,  and  having  too  often  been 
tricked  with  wounded  antelopes,  I  then  gave  him  a 
third  bullet,  but  the  dark  form  of  this  lovely  habitant 
of  the  mountain  quailed  not  to  the  shot ;  the  spirit  of 
the  sable  antelope  had  fled.  I  was  transported  with 
delight  when  I  came  up  and  saw  the  surpassing  beauty 
and  magnificence  of  the  invaluable  trophy  I  had  won. 
This  potaquaine  was  very  old,  and  his  horns  were  enor- 
mous, fair  set,  perfect,  and  exquisitely  beautiful.  I  cut 
off  his  head,  and,  leaving  men  to  convey  the  flesh  to 
camp,  held  thither  in  advance,  escorting  my  hard-won 
trophy.  On  my  way  to  camp,  coming  down  the  foot- 
path from  the  fountain,  to  my  dejectment  I  found  the 
untamable  Mazeppa  stretched  to  rise  no  more,  and  half 


LEAVE  THE  POTAQUAINE  COUNTRY        223 

consumed  by  hyaenas  and  vultures:  he  bad  died  of 
horse-sickness.  The  redaction  of  my  stock  by  the  fell 
hand  of  death  during  this  week  was,  alas !  not  confin- 
ed to  Mazeppa  only;  the  pony  I  bought  of  my  cousin, 
Colonel  Campbell,  died  of  "  tsetse,"  a  valuable  fore-ox 
died  of  some  severe  sickness,  and  "Fox,"  a  very  good 
dog,  died  of  the  African  distemper ;  three  of  my  very 
best  dogs  had  also  mysteriously  disappeared  the  day 
they  chased  the  potaquaine. 

We  remained  in  the  neighborhood  frequented  by  the 
sable  antelope  for  several  days  longer,  but  I  did  not 
succeed  in  killing  another,  although  with  other  game 
of  every  kind  T  met  with  great  success. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Leave  the  Pots.qn;iine  Country — Absurd  Ceremony — My  Cattle  fail  ino 
— Send  to  the  Missionary  Station  for  Aid — Encamp  near  the  Limpo- 
po— Indescribable  Fish — A  young  Secretary — Nearly  all  my  Oxen 
die — Assistance  arrives  from  Mr.  Livingstone — We  reach  the  Resi- 
dence of  Sichely — A  Hunter's  Monument — We  continue  our  March 
through  a  beautiful  Country — An  Adventure  with  two  savage  Lion- 
esses— A  violent  Tempest — Mahura — Bakalahari  driving  Game  to- 
ward their  Pittfalls — We  crrss  the  Orange  River  and  reach  Coles- 
berg. 

On  tho  15th  of  November  we  inspanned,  and  left  the 
mountains  of  Linguapa.  Kapain  and  his  Bechuanas 
held  for  Bamangwato  ;  Seleka's  Bechuanas  held  for 
their  chief;  and  we  held  a  southwesterly  course  for  the 
"  impopo,  which  we  reached  in  less  than  three  hours. 

Next  day  we  trekked  at  dawn,  and  having  marched 


224  ADVENTURES    IN    SCOJTH    AFR/CA. 

a  few  miles  we  were  joined  by  Bakalahari,  who  re« 
ported  having  seen  elephants  on  the  preceding  day.  A 
little  after  this  I  shot  a  watei-buck  close  to  the  river, 
when  I  outspanned. 

During  the  day  "  Matsaca,"  chief  of  the  Bamalette, 
visited  me  with  a  retinue :  he  brought  a  kaross  for  me, 
for  which  I  was  to  cut  him  on  the  arm  and  shoulder, 
and  anoint  him  with  medicine  to  make  him  shoot  well 
with  the  gun  which  he  had  bought  of  me.  In  the  even- 
ing I  walked  a  short  distance  down  the  river's  bank, 
and  shot  a  lovely  fawn  of  the  serolomootlooque,  and  a 
buck  pallah  with  a  very  handsome  head. 

On  the  17th  I  went  in  quest  of  elephants,  accompa- 
nied by  the  Bamalette  men.  We  continued  along  the 
bank  of  the  river  for  several  miles,  when  we  took  up  the 
spoor  of  three  or  four  enormous  old  bulls.  On  our  way 
I  wounded  a  white  rhinoceros,  which  I  did  not  follow 
to  secure.  The  elephants  had  fed  very  slowly  away 
from  the  river,  and  before  we  had  followed  the  spoor  an 
hour  we  were  close  upon  them.  The  Bechuanas  chose 
to  leave  the  spoor,  and,  making  a  cast  to  windward, 
they  started  the  elephants.  My  dogs  being  much  dis- 
tressed with  the  sun,  and  I  not  being  aware  that  the 
game  were  started,  we  at  this  very  moment  unfortu- 
nately sat  down  and  rested  for  half  an  hour,  which  of 
course  lost  me  the  day.  When  I  discovered  that  the 
elephants  had  moved  off,  I  turned  my  face  for  camp, 
and  before  proceeding  far  I  started  an  ostrich  off  her 
nest:  the  nest  contained  twenty  eggs,  which  I  directed 
the  Bechuanas  to  bring  to  camp. 

As  we  held  up  the  side  of  the  river  I  detected  a  very 
fine  old  black  rhinoceros  standing:  among  some  wait-a- 
bit  thorn.  Directing  Piet,  my  dismounted  after-rider 
(for  my  stud  of  fifteen  was  now  reduced  to  one),  to 


GREAT  VARIETY  OF  GAME.  225 

watch  my  movements,  I  commenced  a  stalk  upon  Bo- 
rele,  and,  having  got  within  about  sixty  yards  of  where 
he  stood  in  dense  cover,  I  signed  to  Piet  to  get  on  the 
other  side  and  start  him  toward  me;  this  plan  succeed- 
ed, for  he  charged  out  of  the  cover,  and,  holding  for 
the  bush  behind  which  I  was  concealed,  passed  within 
twelve  yards.  My  first  shot  was  a  very  deadly  one. 
It  set  him  charging  round  and  round  in  a  circle,  when 
I  gave  him  a  second,  and  he  made  off  mortally  wound- 
ed. I  then  ran  to  my  little  mare,  and,  mounting  her, 
gave  him  chase,  and  presently  dropped  him  with  a  shot 
behind  the  shoulder.  Loud  thunder  was  rumbling  to 
windward  of  my  camp,  so  I  hastened  to  cut  off  Borele's 
horn,  after  which  I  rode  home. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  I  saw  the  fresh  spoor  of 
about  twenty  varieties  of  large  game,  and  most  of  the 
animals  themselves,  viz.,  elephant,  black,  white,  and 
long-horned  rhinoceros,  hippopotamus,  camelopard,  buf- 
falo, blue  wildebeest,  zebra,  water-buck,  sassayby,  koo- 
doo, pallah,  springbok,  serolomootlooque,  wild  boar,  dui- 
ker, steinbok,  lion,  leopard.  This  district  of  Africa  con- 
tains a  larger  variety  of  game  than  any  other  in  the 
whole  of  this  vast  tract  of  the  globe,  and  perhaps  more 
than  any  district  throughout  the  world  ;  for  besides  the 
game  which  I  have  just  noted,  the  following  are  not 
uncommon,  viz.,  keilton,  or  two-horned  black  rhinoc- 
eros, eland,  oryx,  roan  antelope,  sable  antelope,  harte- 
beest,  klipspringer,  and  grys  steinbuck  :  the  reitbuck 
is  also  to  be  found,  but  not  abundantly. 

"We  inspanned  on  the  18th  before  it  was  day,  and 
trekked  up  the  Limpopo  for  about  three  hours.  In  the 
forenoon  Matsaca  arrived  from  the  carcass  of  the  bo- 
rele  :  he  brought  with  him  a  very  fine  leopard's  skin  ka- 
ross,  and  an  elephant's  tooth  ;  these  were  for  me,  in  re- 
*  K  2 


226  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

turn  for  which  I  was  to  cut  him  to  make  him  shoot  well. 
This  I  did  in  the  following  manner :  opening  a  large 
book  of  natural  history,  containing  prints  of  all  the  chief 
quadrupeds,  I  placed  his  forefinger  successively  on  sev- 
eral of  the  prints  of  the  commonest  of  the  South  Afri 
can  quadrupeds,  and  as  I  placed  his  finger  on  each,  I 
repeated  some  absurd  sentence  and  anointed  him  with 
turpentine.  When  this  was  accomplished  T  made  four 
cuts  on  his  arm  with  a  lancet,  and  then,  anointing  the 
bleeding  wounds  with  gunpowder  and  turpentine,  I  told 
him  that  his  gun  had  power  over  each  of  the  animals 
which  his  finger  had  touched,  provided  he  held  it  straight. 
Matsaca  and  his  retinue  seemed  highly  gratified,  and 
presently  took  leave  and  departed:  I  afterward  trekked 
up  the  river  till  sundown. 

On  the  succeeding  day  we  marched  with  the  dawn, 
and  held  up  the  river.  In  the  forenoon  Bechuanas  from 
Seleka  visited  me,  bearing  a  tooth  of  a  bull  elephant, 
for  which  they  wanted  a  gun ;  the  tooth,  however,  being 
small,  I  would  not  give  them  one  for  it,  although  I 
might  have  done  so  at  a  fair  profit.  I  found  the  game 
extremely  abundant,  counting  no  less  than  twenty-two 
rhinoceroses,  nine  of  which  were  in  one  herd,  feeding 
on  the  open  plain.  The  wind  was  as  foul  as  it  could 
blow,  and  kept  continually  starting  the  game.  At 
length,  late  in  the  afternoon,  I  got  within  shot  of  four 
white  rhinoceroses.  The  old  bull  stood  next  to  me ; 
so,  resting  my  six-pound  rifle  on  the  trunk  of  a  tree 
which  an  elephant  had  overthrown,  I  took  him  on  the 
shoulder  and  smashed  his  forearm ;  he  ran  for  thirty 
yards,  and  then  rolled  over  on  his  back.  He,  however, 
regained  his  legs  and  ran  a  hundred  yards  further, 
when  his  leg  failed  him,  and,  coming  up  on  his  spoor,  I 
finished  him  in  a  few  minutes.     The  wagons  now  camo 


CATTLE    DYING.  227 

up,  and  I  halted  them  on  the  river's  bank,  opposite  to 
the  rhinoceros. 

On  the  21st  much  rain  fell  throughout  the  day,  ren- 
dering the  country  unfit  for  trekking,  A  birth  and  a 
death  occurred  among  my  cattle.  In  the  afternoon  a 
loud  rushing  noise  was  heard  coming  on  like  a  hurri- 
cane :  this  was  a  large  troop  of  pallah  pursued  by  a 
pack  of  about  twenty  wild  dogs.  They  passed  our 
camp  in  fine  style  within  a  hundred  yards  of  us,  and 
in  two  minutes  the  wild  dogs  had  caught  two  of  the 
pallahs,  which  my  Bechuanas  ran  up  and  secured.  A 
pallah,  in  passing  my  camp,  cleared  a  distance  of  fifty 
feet  in  two  successive  bounds,  and  this  on  unfavorable 
ground,  it  being  very  soft  and  slippery. 

I  left  the  sable  antelopes'  mountain  mainly  in  con- 
sequence of  a  general  falling  off  among  my  cattle.  I 
did  not  then  know  to  what  cause  to  attribute  this  sad, 
and,  to  me,  all-important  change  in  their  condition, 
which  only  a  few  weeks  before  had  been  a  source  of 
admiration  to  us.  Alas  !  it  was  now  too  evident  that 
nearly  all  of  them  were  dying,  having  been  bitten  by 
the  fly  "  tsetse"  at  the  mountain.  The  rains  of  the 
last  three  days  had  made  this  melancholy  truth  more 
strongly  manifest;  the  cattle  presented  a  most  woeful 
appearance.  Listless  and  powerless,  they  cared  not  to 
feed,  and,  though  the  grass  covered  the  country  with 
the  richest  and  most  luxuriant  pasturage,  their  sides 
remained  hollow,  and  their  whole  bodies  became  daily 
more  emaciated  ;  the  eyes  also  of  many  of  them  were 
closed  and  swollen.  The  next  morning  being  fair,  I  "in- 
spanned,  although  the  country  was  very  unfit  for  trek- 
king, my  heavily-laden  wagons  sinking  deep  in  the  soft, 
rich  soil  which  lies  along  the  banks  of  the  Limpopo. 
My  poor  oxen,  as  I  expected,  became  knocked  up  on  tho 


228  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

march  before  they  had  proceeded  three  miles,  many  of 
them  lying  down  and  refusing  to  proceed  further,  or 
even  to  stand  up.  I  was  obliged,  in  consequence,  to 
outspan  one  wagon  and  leave  it  behind,  and  to  bring 
on  the  other  with  the  able  oxen,  and  then  send  them 
back  to  assist  their  dying  comrades  in  bringing  up  the 
second.  I  performed  a  short  march,  and  halted  on  a 
fine,  open  sandy  spot,  where  I  made  a  strong  thorn  kraal 
for  the  cattle.  Soon  after  we  had  outspanned  the  sec- 
ond w^agon  heavy  rain  set  in,  which  continued  at  in- 
tervals throughout  the  night. 

Light  rains  continued  to  fall  throughout  the  24th. 
I,  however,  performed  a  short  march,  and  brought  my 
wagons  a  few  miles  further  up  the  Limpopo.  I  was 
obliged,  as  on  the  last  march,  to  bring  on  one  wagon  at 
a  time. 

Heavy  rains  fell  at  intervals  throughout  the  next  day. 
"  Ronoberg,"  a  Natal  ox,  died  during  the  night,  and  it 
was  evident  that  many  more  would  die  in  a  few  days; 
even  now  the  half  of  them  w^ere  utterly  unfit  to  work. 
The  heavy  and  continued  rains  which  had  lately  set  in 
made  me  feel  my  heavy  misfortune  with  increased  se- 
verity, for  the  country  was  hardly  to  be  traveled  with 
such  loads  as  mine,  even  with  oxen  in  good  working 
condition.  At  length  I  found  myself  reduced  to  a  stand, 
or  the  next  thing  to  it.  In  this  state  of  things  I  deemed 
it  necessary  to  dispatch  natives  to  the  nearest  mission- 
ary station  for  assistance.  I  accordingly  wrote  a  letter 
to  Mr.  Livingstone,  the  resident  missionary  at  Sichely's, 
requesting  the  loan  of  two  spans  of  oxen,  and,  having 
sealed  up  my  epistle  in  a  bottle,  I  sent  it  oft'  with  two 
natives,  instructing  them  to  use  all  possible  speed.  One 
of  these  men  was  a  native  in  my  service,  named  "  Ram- 
achumey ;"   the  other  was  one  of  Sichely's  subjects, 


FISHING    IN    THE    LIMPOPO.  229 

having  been  on  a  visit  to  Seleka.  They  expected  to 
reach  Sichely  in  seven  days. 

For  many  succeeding  days  my  difficulties  with  re- 
spect to  bringing  on  the  wagons  continued  to  increase. 
The  rain  still  poured  down,  rendering  the  country  im- 
possible to  travel,  and  my  oxen  died  daily  of  the  tsetse 
bite.  In  this  condition  my  progress  was  slow  and  pain- 
ful in  the  extreme,  and  I  awaited  anxiously  the  expect- 
ed succor  from  Mr.  Livingstone.  At  length  I  came 
fairly  to  a  stand,  not  having  sufficient  oxen  left  to  draw 
one  wagon.  I  formed  my  camp  in  a  shady  bend  of  the 
river,  and  fortified  it  with  a  high  hedge  of  thorny  trees, 
and  in  a  few  days  more  all  my  cattle  had  died  with  the 
exception  of  two  young  oxen,  which  I  inclined  to  think 
would  survive  the  bite  of  the  fatal  "  tsetse." 

On  the  7th  of  December  I  resolved  to  have  some 
fishing  ;  accordingly,  I  routed  out  some  old  salmon- 
fishing  tackle,  and  sallied  forth  with  one  of  the  wagon 
whip-sticks  for  a  rod,  and  some  string  for  a  line.  I 
baited  my  hook  with  a  bit  of  the  blue  wildebeest,  and 
put  on  a  cork  for  a  bob.  I  cast  in  my  bait  in  a  quiet 
bend  of  the  river,  and  anxiously  watched  the  cork, 
which  very  soon  began  to  bob.  I  then  conjured  up 
many  forms  in  my  mind,  and  wondered  whether  it 
would  be  a  fair  fish,  such  as  I  might  expect  in  my  own 
land's  rivers,  or  something  more  like  a  young  crocodile. 
I  was  not  fated  to  live  long  upon  conjecture,  however, 
for  next  moment  under  went  the  cork,  and,  striking 
sharply,  I  threw  over  my  head  a  fine  gray  fish  about  a 
pound  weight,  and  in  appearance  like  a  haddock,  with 
a  broad  mouth  and  eight  or  ten  feelers.  My  Bushman 
said  the  Boers,  about  the  Orange  River  knew  this  fish, 
and  loved  to  catch  and  eat  it.  Presently  my  perse- 
verance was  rewarded  by  a  second  fish  of  the  same  kind 


230  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

as  the  first ;  and  after  this  I  hooked  a  very  heavy  fish, 
which  I  lost.  I  doubt  not  but  most  excellent  sport 
might  be  obtained  in  the  Limpopo. 

In  the  evening  Carey  and  I  cut  dow^n  a  very  dense 
thorn-tree  to  inspect  the  nest  of  a  secretary  The  sum- 
mit of  the  tree  was  very  wide,  den.'se,  and  level,  and 
from  the  terrible  nature  of  the  thorns  it  was  utterly  in- 
accessible without  the  aid  of  the  hatchet.  When  the 
tree  fell,  out  from  its  nest  rolled  a  young  secretary, 
and  immediately  disgorged  its  last  meal,  which  con- 
sisted of  "  four  lizards  of  different  sorts,  of  which  one 
was  a  chameleon,  one  locust,  one  quail,  and  a  mouse." 

A  few  days  after  this  I  sent  out  John  and  Carey  into 
different  airts  to  seek  game,  and  each  killed  a  pallah ; 
but  the  sky  threatening  rain,  they  did  not  wait  to  escort 
their  venison,  but  left  natives  to  bring  it  on,  A  con- 
siderable time  having  elapsed,  and  the  Bakalahari  not 
appearing,  I  dispatched  John  and  some  of  the  natives 
in  my  service  to  look  after  them,  and  it  was  well  I  di(f. 
so ;  for,  on  reaching  his  pallah,  John  found  the  Bakala- 
hari whom  he  had  left  to  convey  it  to  camp  in  the  act 
of  bolting  with  the  half  of  it,  having  cunningly  (as  he 
thought)  hacked  the  other  half  with  a  sharp  stone,  and 
dirtied  the  flesh  with  the  entrails,  thinking  to  persuade 
us  that  it  had  been  done  by  a  leopard  or  hyaena. 

It  was  now  twenty  days  since  I  dispatched  natives 
to  the  nearest  missionary  to  inform  him  of  my  distress, 
and  solicit  assistance  in  oxen,  and  they  might  ere  now 
have  reached  me  if  all  was  well ;  this  caused  me  many 
painful  doubts  and  apprehensions.  Bay  after  day  was 
passing  away,  and  hourly  I  felt  my  situation  more  and 
more  irksome  and  tedious.  Moreover,  my  supplies 
were  fast  coming  to  an  end.  I  certainly  felt  my  fixed 
position  most  painful.     At  length,  however,  that  aid 


ASSISTANCE    ARRIVES.  231 

which  I  SO  earnestly  yet  fearfully  prayed  for  was  at 
hand. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th,  as  I  was  preparing  my 
breakfast,  I  suddenly  beheld  a  civilized-looking  native 
approach  me :  he  wore  a  shirt,  a  pair  of  leather  trow- 
gers,  and  a  sailor's  red  night-cap,  and  carried  a  gun 
and  shooting-belt.  The  instant  I  beheld  him  I  said 
aloud,  "  Natives  from  Sichely — the  oxen  are  at  hand." 
It  was  even  so :  my  messengers  had  found  Mr.  Living- 
stone at  home,  who,  on  hearing  of  my  distress,  had  at 
once,  in  the  noblest  manner,  dispatched  men  with  his 
whole  stock  of  trek-oxen  to  my  assistance.  These  I 
had  now  the  inexpressible  satisfaction  to  behold  reach 
me  in  saloty.  We  inspanned  at  once,  and  commenced 
our  march  and  continued  to  make  good  way  for  sev- 
eral days ;  and  on  the  26th  we  reached  Kolubeng,  the 
new  residence  of  Sichely.  In  the  morning  that  chief 
brought  me  two  young  oxen,  which  I  all  but  purchased 
for  an  old  saddle  and  two  pounds  of  powder ;  but  we 
split  upon  the  cup  of  powder  being  level  and  not  piled. 

A  day  or  two  after,  I  ascended  the  rocky  hill  above 
the  town  with  Mr.  Livingstone,  to  obtain  a  view  of  the 
surrounding  country.  I  came  upon  a  very  high  heap 
of  well-bleached  moldering  bones  of  many  varieties  of 
game,  amassed  and  piled  here  by  a  mighty  Nimrod^ 
now  no  more,  who  had  in  days  of  yore  chosen  this  hill 
for  his  habitation.  Mr.  Livingstone  pointed  out  to  me 
a  range  of  tabular  hills  to  the  southeast,  near  the 
sources  of  the  Kolubeng,  throughout  which  he  informed 
me  the  sable  antelope  was  to  be  met  with.  In  the 
evening  Sichely  came  to  trade  with  me,  when  I  obtained 
several  young  oxen  in  barter  from  him. 

On  arriving  at  Sichely's  I  dispatched  natives  to  Bak- 
atla  to  fetch  two  spans  of  oxen  which  I  had  left  on  my 


232  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

way  into  the  interior  in  charge  of  Mr.  Edwards,  and 
with  these,  on  the  3d  of  the  new  year,  we  again  in- 
spanned  and  tried  to  make  a  start  with  twelve  oxen  in 
each  wagon  :  they,  however,  finding  the  wagons  ex- 
tremely heavy,  would  not  move  them,  nor  could  we 
prevail  upon  them  to  take  to  their  wonted  work,  as 
they  ought  to  do,  until  every  ox  had  been  most  unmer- 
cifully flogged  with  both  wagon- whips  and  jamboks. 
Our  course  for  Bakatla  was  southwesterly,  but,  owing 
to  the  position  of  the  mountains,  we  were  obliged  to 
make  a  very  zigzag  and  circuitous  march.  We  halted 
at  sundown.  The  country  here  is  the  most  pleasing  I 
have  seen  in  Africa — beautifully  wooded,  undulating 
plains,  valleys,  straths,  and  conical  and  tabular  mount- 
ains of  most  fascinating  appearance,  invariably  wooded 
to  their  summits,  stretching  away  on  every  side. 

We  marched  steadily  for  several  days,  and  on  the 
7th  reached  Bakatla,  which  was  looking  extremely 
beautiful,  being  surrounded  by  very  green  fields  of 
Bechuana  corn.  Here  we  remained  a  few  days  while 
I  obtained  fresh  oxen,  and  then,  pushing  on,  gained  the 
River  Molopo.  Early  on  the  14th  I  drew  up  my  wag- 
ons on  its  northern  bank,  and  in  the  forenoon  sallied 
forth  to  seek  for  reitbuck,  which  are  here  abundant. 
At  this  hour  of  the  day,  however,  it  was  of  little  use  to 
seek  for  them,  as  they  were  lying  concealed  in  the  end- 
less dense  reeds  which  inclose  the  Molopo,  in  some  parts 
extending  to  a  breadth  of  half  a  mile,  their  height  aver- 
aging from  twelve  to  twenty  feet  and  upward.  I  found 
plenty  of  spoor,  including  the  fresh  spoor  of  lions,  which 
along  the  Molopo  are  always  abundant.  The  day  was 
excessively  hot,  and  there  was  a  most  painful,  oppressive 
feeling  in  the  atmosphere  to  an  extent  which  I  had 
rarely  experienced.     In  the  afternoon  dark  masses  of 


ADVENTURE    WITH    TWO    LIONESSES.  233 

clouds  arose  along  the  horizon  on  every  side,  and  con- 
stant thunder  bellowed  in  the  distance:  a  little  before 
the  sun  went  down  the  sky  above  and  all  around  looked 
extremely  threatening,  and  I  directed  my  people  to  pre- 
pare for  a  tempestuous  night. 

At  this  time  I  observed  a  reitbuck  grazing  beyond 
the  dense  reeds  on  the  other  side  of  the  Molopo,  and  1 
at  once  held  for  him,  with  my  little  Moore  rifle,  ac- 
companied by  my  Bushman.  We  had  some  difficulty 
in  penetrating  the  dense  reeds,  and  on  gaining  the  other 
side  a  change  in  the  direction  of  the  wind  started  off 
the  reitbuck.  I  then  observed  two  other  reitbuck,  a 
buck  and  a  doe,  coming  out  to  graze  some  distance  to 
windward,  and  commenced  a  stalk  in  upon  them.  Hav- 
ing proceeded  about  half  way,  I  suddenly  observed  two 
huge  yellow  lionesses  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards 
to  my  left,  walking  along  the  edge  of  the  reeds,  holding 
a  course  parallel  to  my  own.  The  reitbucks  smelled 
the  lions  and  lay  down.  I  got  very  near  them,  but 
they  started  oft',  and  bounded. straight  away  from  me: 
I  fired  and  missed  the  buck. 

Ruyter  came  toward  me,  and  I  ran  forward  to  obtain 
a  view  beyond  a  slight  rise  in  the  ground  to  see  whither 
the  lionesses  had  gone.  In  so  doing  I  came  suddenly 
upon  them,  within  about  seventy  yards ;  they  were  stand- 
ing looking  back  at  Ruyter.  I  then  very  rashly  com- 
menced making  a  rapid  stalk  in  upon  them,  and  fired  at 
the  nearest,  having  only  one  shot  in  my  rifle.  The  ball 
told  loudly,  and  the  lioness  at  which  I  had  fired  wheeled 
rig])t  round,  and. came  on  lashing  her  tail,  showing  her 
teeth,  and  making  that  horrid,  murderous  deep  growl 
which  an  angry  lion  generally  utters.  At  the  same 
moment  her  comrade,  who  seemed  better  to  know  that 
she  was  in  the  presence  of  man,  made  a  hasty  retreat 


234  '  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

into  the  reeds.  The  instant  the  lioness  came  on  I  stood 
up  to  my  full  height,  holding  my  rifle,  and  my  arms 
extended,  and  high  above  my  head.  This  checked  her 
in  her  course;  but  on  looking  round  and  missing  her 
comrade,  and  observing  Ruyter  slowly  advancing,  she 
was  still  more  exasperated,  and,  fancying  that  she  was 
being  sm'rounded,  she  made  another  forward  movement, 
growling  terribly.  This  was  a  moment  of  great  danger. 
I  felt  that  my  only  chance  of  safety  was  extreme  steadi- 
ness; so,  standing  motionless  as  a  rock,  with  my  eyes 
firmly  fixed  upon  her,  I  called  out  in  a  clear,  command- 
ing voice,  "  Holloa !  old  girl,  what's  the  hurry?  take  it 
easy;  holloa!  holloa!"  She  instantly  once  more  halt- 
ed, and  seemed  perplexed,  looking  round  for  her  com- 
rade. I  then  thought  it  prudent  to  beat  a  retreat,  which 
I  very  slowly  did,  talking  to  the  lioness  all  the  time. 
She  seemed  undecided  as  to  her  future  movements,  and 
was  gazing  after  me  and  snuffing  the  ground  when  I 
last  beheld  her. 

The  sun  was  under,  and  the  terrific  thunder  which 
burst  around  proclaimed  a  coming  tempest:  I  therefore 
deemed  it  safe  to  reach  my  camp  with  all  possible  speed, 
and,  having  loaded  my  rifle,  held  thither  at  a  sharp  trot, 
holding  for  the  old  wagon-drift  to  avoid  having  to  pass 
through  the  dense  reeds.  Before  I  reached  the  drift 
two  reitbuck  dashed  past  me,  one  of  which  I  shot  and 
bore  to  camp.  On  reaching  camp  the  first  move  was  to 
refresh  the  person.  Before,  however,  I  could  accomplish 
this,  the  tempest  was  upon  us;  it  was  one  of  the  most 
violent  I  had  experienced  for  years,  the  wind  blowing  a 
perfect  hurricane,  accompanied  by  rattling  hailstones 
and  rain,  which  fell  in  such  torrents  as  in  a  few  min- 
utes to  convert  the  dry  ground  into  a  befitting  habitation 
for  fish  or  water-fowl:  the  thunder  and  lightning  werrt 


A    VIOLENT    TEMPEST.  235 

most  appalling,  and  burst  and  flashed  above  and  around 
us,  threatening  our  momentary  destruction.  The  wind 
blew  one  side  of  my  sail  over  the  roof  of  the  tent,  the 
sail's  fastenings  having  been  insecure,  leaving  myself 
and  my  property  exposed  to  the  pelting  rain,  which  in 
a  few  seconds  had  deluged  bedding,  blankets,  pillows, 
rifles,  sacks,  tiger-skins,  karosses,  stuffed  heads,  &c.,  &c. 
I,  however,  quickly  piped  all  hands  to  bend  on  another 
sail  which  I  fortunately  had  in  my  wagon,  and  when 
this  was  accomplished  my  castle  was  once  more  water- 
proof. The  violence  of  the  wind  had  set  my  oxen  at 
liberty,  and  when  the  tempest  had  passed  away  they 
were  found  to  have  passed  away  with  it,  which  it  may 
be  supposed  left  me  in  no  very  placid  temper,  this  being 
exactly  the  sort  of  night  on  which  the  stealthy,  prowl- 
ing tyrant  of  the  wilderness  is  ever  found  to  be  most 
active  in  his  murderous  pursuits;  and,  as  if  to  add  to 
my  anxiety  on  the  subject,  lions  immediately  com- 
menced roaring  on  every  side,  especially  to  leeward, 
being  the  course  which  cattle  invariably  take  before  a 
storm. 

When  day  dawned  men  were  dispatched  on  the  spoor 
of  the  oxen.  I  was  busy  all  the  forenoon  drying  my 
saturated  property.  The  sun  was  high,  and  yet  no 
tidings  of  my  cattle.  I  began  to  be  extremely  anxious. 
About  mid-day  some  of  the  Bakatla  Bechuanas  brought 
me  one  ox ;  it  was  "  Youngman,"  the  last  of  the  Mohi- 
cans. On  beholding  him  a  pang  of  sorrow  shot  through 
my  heart.  He  brought  my  melancholy  losses  all  fresh 
as  at  a  single  glance  before  me ;  his  appearance  was 
worn  and  emaciated,  and  it  was  evident  that  soon  the 
vulture  and  hysena  would  leave  his  whitening  bones  to 
bleach  upon  the  glowing  plain. 

Who,  then,  was  "Youngman,"  that  he  could  call  up 


236  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AI^KICA. 

such  melancholy  associations?  "  Youngman"  was  the 
only  dying  survivor  of  thirty  selected  trek-oxen  which 
T  had  chosen  to  accompany  me  into  the  far  interior,  all 
of  which  I  had  seen  pine  away  and  die,  and  fail  me  in 
the  hour  of  need.  The  men  who  brought  me  "Young- 
man"  said  that  they  had  found  him  on  the  spoor  of  the 
other  cattle,  and  about  two  hours  afterward  I  had  the 
satisfaction  to  behold  all  the  missing  truants  recovered. 
They  had  been  seduced  away  by  some  young  oxen  I 
had  obtained  at  Bakatla,  which  seemed  to  have  resolv- 
ed to  return  to  their  former  masters,  perhaps  not  relish- 
ing old  Adonis's  treatment  of  them  in  the  yoke. 

We  now  held  on  to  the  Meritsane  (rendered  famous 
among  sportsmen  by  Harris's  glowing  description  of  its 
charms),  and  found  it  full  of  water.  Before  reaching 
this  point,  however,  I  left  the  old-established  Kuruman 
wagon-road  about  three  miles  from  the  drift,  my  line 
of  march  being  to  visit  Mahura,  chief  of  the  Batlapis, 
residing  about  the  sources  of  the  Hart  River.  This 
route  is  by  many  days  shorter  than  by  the  old  road 
and  has  also  the  advantage  of  being  through  a  firr. 
grassy  country.  As  we  reached  the  Meritsane  we 
started  a  cock  and  hen  ostrich,  with  a  large  troop  of 
extremely  small  young  ones,  which  did  not  seem  larger 
than  Guinea-fowls. 

We  held  on  for  several  days  through  a  country 
abounding  in  game,  and  reached  Mahura's  town  on  the 
25th.  As  we  drew  near  to  the  town,  Mahura  was 
pointed  out  to  me.  He  was  walking  in  company  with 
another  old  man,  and  carried  a  double-barreled  per- 
cussion rifle  on  his  she  ulder.  He  was  dressed  in  a  shirt, 
waistcoat,  and  baggy  trowsers,  and  wore  a  broad-brim- 
med hat  a  la  Boer.  Halting  my  wagons,  I  wqnt  up 
and  shook  hands  with  him,  anol  asked  his  permission  to 


TRAFFIC  WITH  MAHURA.  237 

outspan,  which  was  graciously  granted.  Mahura  and 
his  aristocracy  remained  with  us  all  the  evening  drink- 
ing my  coffee,  and  fishing  or  pumping  out  all  the  news 
he  could  from  me  and  my  natives ;  and  at  a  late  hour 
this  ill-expressioned,  cunning  old  tyrant  took  leave  for 
the  night,  requesting  that  I  would  inspan  in  the  morning 
and  bring  up  my  wagons  close  to  his  dwelling-house, 
that  he  might  enjoy  as  much  of  my  society  as  possible 
luring  my  stay  at  his  town,  and  that  we  might  trade 
with  more  facility. 

Accordingly,  in  the  morning  I  drove  up  my  wagons 
and  very  soon  his  highness  made  his  appearance,  and  re- 
quested me  to  get  ready  some  coffee.  Presently  about 
a  dozen  fine  young  oxen  were  brought  up,  which  he  said 
were  to  purchase  powder,  and  after  coffee  we  proceeded 
to  trading.  I  selected  one  young  ox,  and  offered  him 
six  pounds  of  powder  for  it.  He  then  desired  to  see  the 
powder,  and  on  my  measuring  it  out  he  said  that  I 
must  add  two  more.  From  his  manner  it  appeared  to 
me  that  he  did  not  intend"  to  deal  with  me  even  if  I 
gave  him  what  he  asked;  so  I  said  I  would  let  him 
have  one  pound  more,  and  if  he  did  not  like  to  take  it 
we  could  not  dpal.  He  then,  with  the  greatest  non- 
chalance, said,  "  Lay  by  your  powder,"  and  commenc- 
ed talking  on  some  other  subject.  Being  very  anxious 
to  obtain  some  good  specimens  of  the  large-horned  oxen 
of  the  Kalihari,  and  Mahura  being  by  report  in  posses- 
sion of  some,  which  he  had  lifted  from  the  Bawangketse, 
I  told  him  that  if  he  would  bring  them  up  I  would  give 
him  a  good  price  for  them.  He  said  that  he  had  cattle 
with  large  horns,  and  that  he  would  send  to  one  of 
his  outposts  for  two  oxen  which  would  frighten  me  to 
look  at. 

la  the  evening  the  cattle  came;  these  were  two  im- 


238  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

mensely  tall,  gaunt,  hollow-sided,  very  remarkable-look- 
ing animals,  and  carried  truly  enormous  horns.  The 
head  of  one  of  them  was  very  handsome ;  the  horns  were 
very  wide  and  fair  set,  going  out  quite  horizontally  for 
some  distance  on  leaving  the  head;  their  width,  from 
point  to  point,  might  have  been  about  eight  feet.  This 
ox  was  roan-colored  on  his  face  and  along  the  top  of  his 
back.  The  other  was  red ;  his  horns  were  thicker  than 
those  of  his  comrade,  and  were  of  good  length,  with 
very  good  points,  but  their  sweep  was  not  graceful. 
They  were  neither  of  them  so  thick  as  the  horns  of  my 
red  Wangketse  ox,  Rob  Roy,  which  I  left  with  Fossey, 
nor  by  any  means  so  handsome ;  yet,  nevertheless,  they 
were  both  very  remarkable  heads,  and  perhaps  such  an- 
other pair  I  might  never  again  fall  in  with.  I  told 
Mahura  that  I  possessed  finer  specimens,  but  I  would 
be  happy  to  have  a  deal  with  him.  He  then  showed 
me  two  fine  bull  elephant  tusks,  for  which  I  offered  him 
cash;  but  he  said  he  had  no  understanding  in  cash, 
and  that  he  would  keep  them  until  he  saw  something 
he  stood  in  need  of.  His  drift  was  to  get  one  of  my 
valua||Je  double  rifles  out  of  me. 

Next  day  Mahura  brought  me  the  two  large-horned 
Kalihari  oxen,  and  after  coffee  he  asked  me  if  I  was 
going  to  buy.  I  asked  him  what  he  wanted  for  the  ox- 
en, when'he  said  powder.  I  said  that  I  would  take  them 
both,  and  give  him  eight  pounds  of  powder  for  each. 
On  hearing  my  offer  he  only  laughed,  and,  turning 
round,  ordered  his  herds  to  drive  the  cattle  back  to  the 
post.  I  asked  him  what  he  v/anted  for  them :  this  he 
would  not  state,  but  remarked,  "You  were  wont  to 
ride  by  the  Motito  road.  They  may  well  now  say, 
'  Alas  !  we  have  lost  that  good  trader ;  now  may  Ma- 
hura rejoice  that  that  good  man  has  gone  to  trade  with 


DRIVING    GAME    TO    PITFALLS.  239 

Mm.' "  The  meaning  of  this  speech  was,  tliat  Mochu- 
ara,  the  chief  at  Motito,  had  presented  me  with  an  ox 
earring  very  large  horns,  and  that,  in  return,  I  had 
given  him  a  gun.  I  now  considered  that  I  had  ah-eady 
been  too  long  with  this  ruffian,  and  I  accordingly  called 
for  my  oxen  and  marched  for  the  Vaal  River,  distant 
a  day  and  a  half.  We  held  on  until  sundown,  having 
halted  for  an  hour  at  mid-day. 

We  resumed  our  march  at  daybreak  on  the  28th, 
and  held  on  through  boundless  open  plains.  As  we  ad- 
vanced, game  became  more  and  more  abundant.  In 
about  two  hours  we  reached  a  fine  fountain,  beside 
which  was  a  small  cover  of  trees  and  bushes,  which 
afforded  an  abundant  supply  of  fire-wood.  Here  we 
outspanned  for  breakfast :  it  was  a  fine  cool  morning, 
with  a  pleasant  breeze.  The  country  was  thickly  cov- 
ered with  immense  herds  of  game,  consisting  of  zebra, 
wildebeest,  blesbok,  and  springbok.  There  could  not 
have  been  less  than  five  or  six  thousand  head  of  game 
in  sight  of  me  as  I  sat  at  breakfast.  Presently  the 
whole  of  this  game  began  to  take  alarm.  Herd  joined 
herd,  and  took  away  up  the  wind ;  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes other  vast  herds  came  pouring  on  up  the  wind, 
covering  the  whole  breadth  of  the  plain  with  a  living 
mass  of  noble  game. 

Bakalahari  now  hove  in  sight,  running  at  intervals 
across  the  plain,  bearing  parasols  of  black  ostrich  feath- 
ers, which  they  brandished  on  high,  to  press  on  the  pan- 
ic-stricken herds.  These  fellows  must  have  had  good 
wind,  for  they  held  on  at  a  steady  trot,  exactly  like  wild 
dogs  (only  that  the  wild  dogs  gallop  and  do  not  trot), 
and  did  not  allow  the  gane  to  get  very  far  in  advance. 
It  was  evident  that  they  were  driving  it  to  a  range  of 
pitfalls  in  advance ;  but   being  without  steeds,  and  iq 


240  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

extreme  pain  from  a  swelled  ankle,  I  was  unable  to  fol- 
low them  up  and  ascertain  their  success,  as  I  wished 
iO  have  done.  My  ankle  became  daily  worse.  I  ap- 
plied leeches  to  it  at  Mahura's,  which  helped  me  a  lit- 
tle, but  the  number  was  too  small  to  be  of  great  ben- 
efit. I  was  now  entirely  unable  to  set  my  foot  to  the 
ground.  Carey  thought  it  was  erysipelas,  and  I  was 
very  apprehensive  that  it  would  end  in  something  ex- 
tremely serious. 

On  the  29th  we  again  set  out,  and  in  about  three 
hours  we  reached  the  fair,  long-wished-for,  yet  much- 
dreaded  Vaal  River.  I  say  much  dreaded,  because, 
from  the  constant  rains  which  had  continually  been 
falling  this  season,  I  had  made  up  my  mind  that  it  was 
not  improbable  I  might  have  to  lie  for  many  months 
upon  the  banks  of  this  often  impassable  river.  On  this 
occasion,  however,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  and  quite 
contrary  to  my  expectations,  I  found  the  river  low,  and 
the  drift,  which  I  had  never  seen  before,  very  good,  and 
free  from  rocks  or  very  large  stones,  l^he  descent  from 
our  side  was  easy,  but  the  ascent  from  the  drift  on  the 
opposite  side  was  steep  and  muddy ;  and  some  smart 
showers  of  rain,  which  had  been  falling  during  the  last 
two  hours,  had  rendered  it  so  slippery  that  I  deemed  it 
best  to  outspan,  and  defer  taking  the  drift  until  the 
ground  should  dry  a  little  in  the  afternoon,  when  I  got 
my  wagons  through  in  safety,  taking  one  at  a  time  with 
twenty  steady  oxen. 

We  now  made  the  Vet  River,  which  flows  into  the 
Vaal  a  little  above  the  drift,  and  followed  its  course  to- 
ward Colesberg.  This  we  found  to  be  an  excellent  road, 
but  inclining  too  far  to  the  east.  Our  march  led  us 
through  vast  herds  of  game,  which  I  have  before  spoken 
of  as  frequenting  the  northern  boundaries  of  the  col- 


START  ON  THE  LAST  EXPEDITION.        241 

ony.  On  the  20th  of  February  I  crossed  the  Great  Or- 
inge  River  at  AUeman's  Drift,  and  entered  Colesberg 
uext  day.  I  found  most  of  my  old  friends  still  here, 
and  also  my  redoubtable  friend  old  Murphy,  as  wild 
and  as  jolly  as  ever. 

I  hired  the  old  barracks  for  my  residence  during  my 
stay  in  Colesberg,  and  immediately  set  about  sewing 
up  my  trophies  in  canvas,  and  stowing  them  away  in 
cases.  This  was  accomplished  in  about  fourteen  days. 
A  fortnight  more  was  spent  in  preparing  for  another 
hunting  expedition.  T  purchased  a  new  wagon  from  a 
Mr.  Emslie  for  d£100,  and  a  fresh  stud  of  sixteen  horses, 
a  mule,  and  a  span  of  oxen  from  various  parties  in  town, 
and  subsequently  I  increased  my  stud  to  twenty. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

Start  on  my  fifth  and  last  Expedition  into  the  Interior — Mr.  Orpen  ac- 
companies me — Hurried  March — Extraordinary  Herd  of  Blesboks — 
The  Hart  River — Cattle  attacked  with  Hoof  Sickness — Three  Lion- 
esses fearfully  maugle  my  Pack  of  Dogs — Lion  Hunts — Hytenas  de- 
vour my  Camp-stools — Meritsane — Six  Buffaloes  shot — Another  Lion 
Hunt — Gloi-ious  Chase  with  Elands — Sichely's  Kraal — We  cross  the 
Limpopo — A  Lion  attacks  my  Kraal  and  kills  an  Ox — A  Field  of 
Battle — Seboono — My  hundredth  Elephant! — We  march  down  the 
Limpopo  and  hunt  Hippopotami — Attacked  by  Rheumatic  Fever — 
Mr.  Orpen  nearly  killed  by  a  Leopard. 

On  the  19th  of  March,  1848,  I  left  Colesberg  with 
three  wagons  "well  manned  and  stored,"  for  my  fifth 
and  last  cruise  in  the  far  interior.  I  was  joined  by  a 
Mx.  Orpen  (a  mighty  Nimrod),  who,  notwithstanding 
my  representing  to  him  the  dangers  and  hardships  of 

'Voi..  IT.— L 


242  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH   AFRICA, 

an  elephant  hunting  expedition  in  their  blackest  col- 
ors, kindly  agreed  to  favor  me  with  his  help  and  com- 
pany on  my  lonely  trip.  My  sojourn  in  Colesberg  re- 
duced me  considerably,  and  I  was  glad  once  more  to 
breathe  the  fresh  air  of  the  country.  We  got  clear  of 
Colesberg  at  about  9  A.M.,  and  commenced  our  march 
over  the  country  I  have  so  often  marked  with  my  wheel- 
tracks,  and  which  my  reader  must  now  be  fully  ac- 
quainted with.  On  my  way  I  completely  recruited  my 
oxen  and  stud,  and  prepared  myself  to  take  the  field 
with  an  immense  pack  of  stout,  serviceable  dogs.  I 
also  engaged  as  after-rider  a  Bushman  named  Booi. 

The  game  became  plentiful  in  about  ten  days  aftei 
we  left  Colesberg,  but  when  we  came  to  the  Vet  River 
I  beheld  with  astonishment  and  delight  decidedly  one 
of  the  most  wonderful  displays  which  I  had  witnessed 
during  my  varied  sporting  career  in  Southern  Africa 
On  my  right  and  left  the  plain  exhibited  one  purple 
mass  of  graceful  blesboks,  which  extended  without  a 
break  as  far  as  my  eyes  could  strain :  the  depth  of  their 
vast  legions  covered  a  breadth  of  about  six  hundred 
yards.  On  pressing  upon  them,  they  cantered  along 
before  me,  not  exhibiting  much  alarm,  taking  care,  how- 
ever, not  to  allow  me  to  ride  Avithin  at  least  four  hund- 
red yards  of  them.  On,  on  I  rode,  intensely  excited 
with  the  wondrous  scene  before  me,  and  hoped  at  length 
to  get  to  windward  of  at  least  some  portion  of  the  end- 
less living  mass  which  darkened  the  plain,  but  in  vaiji. 
Like  squadrons  of  dragoons,  the  entire  breadth  of  thi.? 
countless  herd  held  on  their  forward  course  as  if  awaro 
of  my  iatention,  and  resolved  not  to  allow  me  to  weath- 
er them. 

At  length  I  determined  to  play  upon  their  ranks, 
and,  pressing  my  horse  to  his  utmost  speed,  dasucd  for- 


VAST    HERDS  OF    BLESBOKS.  24o 

ward,  and,  suddenly  halting,  sprang  from  the  saddle, 
and,  giving  my  rifle  at  least  two  feet  of  elevation,  lired 
right  and  left  into  one  of  their  darkest  masses.  A  no- 
ble buck  dropped  to  the.  right  barrel,  and  the  second 
shot  told  loudly  ;  no  buck,  however,  fell,  and  after  ly- 
ing for  half  a  minute  the  prostrate  blesbok  rose,  and 
was  quickly  lost  sight  of  among  his  retreating  com- 
rades. In  half  a  minute  I  was  again  loaded,  and,  after 
galloping  a  few  hundred  yards,  let  drive  into  them,  but 
was  still  unsuccessful.  Excited  and  annoyed  at  my 
want  of  luck,  I  resolved  to  follow  them  up,  and  blaze 
away  while  a  shot  remained  in  the  locker,  which  I  did ; 
until,  after  riding  about  eight  or  nine  miles,  I  found  my 
anfiinunition  expended,  and  not  a  single  blesbok  bagged, 
although  at  least  a  dozen  must  have  been  wounded. 
It  was  now  high  time  to  retrace  my  steps  and  seek  my 
wagons.  I  accordingly  took  a  point,  and  rode  across 
the  trackless  country  in  the  direction  for  which  they 
were  steering. 

I  very  soon  once  more  fell  in  with  fresh  herds  of 
thousands  of  blesboks.  As  it  was  late  in  the  day,  and 
I  being  on  the  right  side  for  the  wind,  the  blesboks 
were  very  tame,  and  allowed  me  to  ride  along  within 
rifle-shot  of  them,  and  those  which  ran  charged  reso- 
lutely past  me  up  the  wind  in  long-continued  streams. 
I  took  a  lucky  course  for  the  wagons,  and  came  right 
upon  them,  having  just  outspanned  on  the  bank  of  the 
Vet  River.  I  could  willingly  have  devoted  a  month  to 
blesbok  shooting  in  this  hunter's  elysium,  but,  having 
heard  from  a  party  of  Bastards  that  the  Vaal  River  was 
low,  and  being  extremely  anxious  to  push  on,  I  in- 
spanned,  and  continued  my  march  by  moonlight.  Be- 
fore proceeding  far  we  discovered  the  deeply-imprinted 
spoor  of  an  enormous  lion,  which  had  walked  along  the 


244  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH   AFRICA, 

wagon-track  for  several  hundred  yards.  We  continued 
our  march  till  after  midnight,  vast  herds  of  blesbok 
charging  from  us  on  every  side.  Lions  were  heard 
roaring  for  the  first  time  during  this  night. 

On  the  22d  of  April,  after  some  trouble,  we  crossed 
the  Vaal  River,  and  on  the  25th  reached  Mahura's.  1 
rode  ahead  of  the  wagons,  and  found  the  old  ruffian 
busily  engaged  witli  some  of  his  nobility  in  reducing 
with  adzes  a  thorn-wood  tree,  which  was  to  serve  as  a 
beam  in  a  new  dwelling-house  he  was  about  to  erect. 
He  was  astonished  to  see  me  return  so  soon,  and  ex- 
pressed much  satisfaction  thereat.  I  asked  Mahura  if 
he  had  still  the  two  large-horned  oxen  which  i  had  seen 
when  last  here  ;  he  replied,  they  were  still  forthcoming. 
In  half  an  hour  the  wagons  arrived,  and  I  drew  them 
up  outside  the  town.  The  chief  shortly  afterward  made 
his  appearance,  and  had  coffee  with  us. 

For  many  days  back  our  oxen  had  been  looking  very 
spare,  and  fallen  off  in  condition,  and  one  or  two  ex- 
hibited symptoms  of  the  tongue  sickness  at  the  Vaal 
River.  We  now  had  the  intense  mortification  to  dis- 
cover that  nearly  the  whole  of  them  were  attacked  with 
either  tongue  or  hoof  sickness.  This  discovery  cast  a 
sad  gloom  over  our  prospects.  I  was  unacquainted 
with  the  nature  of  either  of  the  maladies,  and  the  Hot- 
tentots declared  that  an  ox  required  months  to  recover 
from  either  of  them,  and  that  they  often  proved  fatal. 
In  this  state  of  things,  I  deemed  it  prudent  to  begin  to 
purchase  young  oxen  from  Mahura  and  his  tribe,  and 
gave  him  to  understand  that  I  was  willing  to  do  so. 
The  chief  replied  that  his  people  would  be  unwilling 
to  bring  their  oxen,  because,  when  I  had  last  passed 
through  his  country,  they  had  brought  oxen  for  barter, 
and  I  had  purchased  none  of  them  ;  he,  however,  prom- 


TRADING  FOR  CATTLE.  245 

ised  to  acquaint  them  with  my  wishes.  In  the  after- 
noon, my  wagons  having  outspanned  at  a  great  dis- 
tance from  the  water,  I  inspanned,  and  trekked  down 
to  the  Hart  stream,  which  I  crossed,  and  drew  up  on 
its  opposite  bank. 

Next  day  the  chief,  instead  of  coming  to  trade  as  he 
had  given  me  to  understand  he  would,  held  a  hunting 
party  with  a  number  of  his  people  on  the  old  Scottish 
principle  of  the  ring,  a  common  and  successful  mode  of 
hunting  among  the  South  African  tribes.     On  this  oo 
casion,  however,  the  ring  was  mismanaged,  and   the 
game  broke  through.    In  the  evening  one  large  ox  was 
brought  foi"  barter,  but  we  did  not  agree  about  the 
price.    Our  oxen  now  presented  a  most  woeful  appear- 
ance, the  greater  part  of  them  being  very  lame,  and 
nearly  all  more  or  less  ailing.     This  was  a  most  start 
ling  fact,  and,  as  the  Bechuanas  did   not  seem  dis 
posed  to  bring  oxen  for  barter,  it  threatened  to  oppose 
an  insurmountable  barrier  to  our  progress  either  back- 
ward or  forward. 

Two  hours  having  elapsed  after  breakfast  the  follow- 
mg  morning,  and  the  chief  not  having  made  his  appear- 
ance according  to  promise,  Mr.  O.  and  I  went  up  to 
the  palace  to  ask  him  what  were  his  intentions  in  re- 
spect to  the  trading.  He  replied  that  he  could  not 
force  his  people  to  bring  me  oxen,  but  that  he  had  in- 
timated my  wishes  to  them.  I  then  remarked  that  he 
would  do  me  a  friendship  if  he  would  set  his  people  the 
example  by  first  dealing  with  me  himself,  as  I  knew 
that  I  should  then  have  no  difficulty  with  them.  The 
chief,  after  some  demur,  told  me  that  oxen  would  be 
brought  for  barter,  and  requested  me  to  go  before  him 
to  the  wagons,  and  get  ray  coffee-kettle  under  weigh. 
In  the  evening  I  obtained  one  good-looking  ox  from  one 


246  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

of  his  men  for  ammunition.  When  Mahura  left  I  pre- 
sented him  with  some  sugar  for  his  coffee  and  a  whip- 
stick. 

The  chief  again  made  his  appearance,  accompanied 
by  his  interpreter  and  several  of  his  people,  early  next 
day,  bringing  stout  young  cattle  to  barter  for  guns  and 
ammunition.  Having  taken  coffee,  the  chief  called  me 
aside,  and,  pointing  out  to  me  two  good-looking  young 
oxen,  said  they  were  his,  and  that  he  wanted  powder  for 
them.  I  asked  him  how  much  he  would  require,  and 
he  replied  that  he  had  brought  a  measure,  and  that  if 
I  would  fill  it  with  powder  I  could  have  the  two  oxen. 
When  I  beheld  the  wooden  measure  I  thought  the  chief 
was  going  to  drive  a  hard  bargain  with  me.  On  filling  it, 
however,  with  powder,  I  found  that  it  held  about  eight- 
een pounds,  and  as  this  was  not  an  exorbitant  price  for 
two  good  oxen,  I  was  very  glad  to  get  them,  and  I  told 
the  chief  I  was  satisfied  with  his  measure.  He  and  all 
his  people  seemed  to  think  they  had  got  a  bargain,  and, 
the  example  now  being  set,  the  trading  went  on  rapid- 
ly, and  by  sundown  I  had  purchased  twenty-two  oxen, 
twenty  of  which  were  quite  fit  for  work.  In  the  fore- 
noon Mr.  O.  and  I  went  to  look  at  the  cattle  (which  we 
allowed  to  remain  night  and  day  in  the  veld),  and  had 
the  satisfaction  to  find  a  decided  improvement  in  them. 
The  chief  was  in  high  spirits  all  day,  and  on  leaving 
me  in  the  forenoon  he  said  he  would  give  me  a  fat  cow 
to  kill  for  my  people,  and  that  he  would  bring  me  a 
large-horned  ox  to  purchase.  In  the  evening  the  fat 
cow  was  brought  and  slain,  but  the  herds  brought  the 
wrong  ox,  so  the  chief  sent  it  back  again.  A  cousin 
of  the  chief,  named  Mokalliharri,  anxious  to  cultivate 
my  good  graces,  gave  me  a  fat  wether.  We  remained 
several  days  longer  purchasing  oxen,  which,  together 


ENCOUNTER    ^VITH    A    LION.  247 

with  our  horses,  now  amounted  to  one  hundred  and 
eleven,  not  counting  our  lame  oxen,  which  we  determ- 
ined to  leave  with  Mahura. 

On  the  3d  of  May  we  again  inspanned,  and  held  on 
beyond  the  Hart  River.  The  country  to  the  west  was 
not  frequented  by  the  game,  and  here  the  grass  was 
tall  and  rank,  and  covers  of  considerable  size  of  thorn- 
trees  and  gray-leaved  bushes  were  scattered  over  the 
landscape  :  it  was  a  still  and  secluded  spot.  I  observed 
several  vultures  soaring  over  one  of  these  covers  within 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  wagons,  and,  thinking  it  very 
probable  that  they  were  attracted  by  some  lion  devour- 
ing his  prey,  I  ordered  a  couple  of  horses  to  be  saddled 
and  rode  toward  the  place,  with  one  after-rider  and 
about  a  dozen  of  my  dogs.  I  was  right  in  my  con- 
jecture ;  for,  as  I  cantered  along,  I  had  the  satisfaction 
to  behold  a  majestic  old  black-maned  lion  walking  along 
parallel  to  me,  and  within  a  hundred  yards.  He  had 
not  yet  observed  me :  he  looked  so  dark,  that  at  the 
first  glance  I  mistook  him  in  the  long  grass  for  a  blue 
wildebeest ;  next  moment,  however,  he  turned  his  large, 
full,  imposing  face  to  me,  and  I  knew  that  it  was  he 
Shouting  to  the  dogs  with  all  my  might,  I  at  once 
dashed  toward  him,  followed  by  my  after-rider  at  a  re- 
spectful distance  carrying  ray  rifle. 

The  lion,  as  I  expected,  was  panic-stricken,  and  took 
to  his  heels,  bounding  through  the  long  grass  at  top 
speed.  The  dogs  went  at  him  in  gallant  style,  I  follow- 
ing not  far  behind  them,  and  yelling  to  encourage  my 
pack.  The  lion,  finding  we  had  the  speed  of  him,  re- 
duced his  pace  to  a  sulky  trot,  and  the  dogs  now  came 
up  and  followed,  barking  within  a  few  yards  on  each 
side  of  him.  In  half  a  minute  more  I  had  passed  ahead 
and  halted  my  horse  for  a  shot ;  but,  looking  round  for 


248  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

my  after-rider,  wlio  carried  my  rifle,  T  beheld  hiri  slow- 
ly approaching  with  pallid  countenance  at  least  a  hund- 
red yards  behind.  The  lion  now  faced  about,  and, 
springing  on  Shepherd,  one  of  my  favorite  dogs,  he  lay 
for  several  seconds  upon  him,  and,  having  bitten  him 
so  that  he  could  not  rise,  continued  his  course.  A  few 
moments  after  he  knocked  over  another  dog,  called 
Vixen,  which  escaped  with  a  slight  scratch.  The  lion 
had  now  gained  the  edge  of  a  small  cover,  and  Booi, 
coming  up  at  a  very  easy  pace,  handed  me  my  rifle. 
In  another  minute  the  noble  beast  came  to  bay  in  a 
thick  bush,  and,  facing  round,  lay  down  to  await  our 
attack.  I  then  rode  up  to  within  twelve  yards  of  him, 
and,  halting  my  horse,  ended  the  grim  lion's  career 
with  a  single  ball  behind  the  shoulder,  cutting  the 
main  arteries  close  to  the  heart.  On  receiving  the  ball 
his  head  dropped  to  the  ground,  and,  gasping  for  a  mo- 
ment, he  expired.  I  dismounted,  and,  plucking  a  lock 
of  hair  from  his  mane,  placed  it  in  my  bosom  and  re- 
turned to  camp,  having  been  absent  barely  ten  minutes. 

After  breakfast  a  party  went  to  inspect  the  lion  and 
bring  home  his  trophies.  On  proceeding  to  seek  for 
Shepherd,  the  dog  which  the  lion  had  knocked  over  in 
the  chase,  I  found  him  with  his  back  broken  and  his 
bowels  protruding  from  a  gash  in  the  stomach  ;  I  was, 
therefore,  obliged  to  end  his  misery  with  a  ball. 

We  marched  again  at  sunrise,  and  at  about  10  A.M. 
1  drew  up  my  wagons  beside  the  large  pan  where  I  had 
been  storm-stayed  for  a  week  last  season.  On  the 
march  I  shot  a  springbok ;  and  observing  vultures,  Mr. 
O.  and  I  rode  toward  them  with  a  troop  of  the  dogs,  in 
the  hope- of  falling  in  with  a  lion,  but  were  disappointed. 
In  the  afternoon,  directing  the  wagons  to  follow,  I  rode 
ahead  with  Booi,  and  on  reaching  the  next  large  pan 


SLAUGHTER    OF    THE    DOGS.  249 

drew  the  cover  lying  to  the  south  of  it,  expecting  to 
find  a  lion.  When  the  wagons  came  up  I  formed  my 
camp  beside  the  thorn-grove,  and,  observing  a  herd  of 
blue  wildebeests  making  for  my  cattle,  I  proceeded  to 
waylay  them,  and  fired  two  long  shots.  Next  minute 
Booi  came  up  to  me,  and  said  that  on  my  firing  he  had 
observed  a  lion  stick  his  head  up  in  the  long  grass  in 
the  vley  opposite  to  me.  I  felt  inclined  to  doubt  the 
veracity  of  his  optics.  I  sent  him.  back,  however,  with 
instructions  to  bring  eight  dogs  ;  but  Booi  thought  the 
whole  pack  would  be  better,  and  returned  with  thirty. 
I  then  rode  direct  for  the  spot  where  the  lion  was 
supposed  to  be.  Booi  was  correct ;  and  on  drawing 
near,  two  savage  lionesses  sat  up  in  the  grass  and 
growled  fiercely  at  us.  An  unlacky  belt  of  reeds,  about 
sixty  yards  long  and  twenty  broad,  intervened  between 
me  and  the  lionesses,  and  on  perceiving  their  danger 
they  at  once  dashed  into  this  cover  :  then  followed  the 
most  woeful  cutting  up  and  destj-uction  among  my  best 
and  most  valuable  dogs.  The  lionesdbs  had  it  all  their 
own  way.  In  vain  I  rode  round  and  round  the  small 
cover,  endeavoring  to  obtain  a  peep  of  them,  which 
would  have  enabled  me  to  put  a  speedy  conclusion  to 
the  murderous  work  within.  The  reeds  were  so  tall 
and  dense,  that,  although  the  lionesses  were  often  at 
bay  within  eight  or  ten  yards  of  me,  it  was  impossible 
to  see  them.  At  length  one  came  outside  the  cover  on 
the  opposite  side,  when  I  fired  a  shot  from  the  saddle. 
My  horse  was  unsteady ;  nevertheless  I  wounded  her, 
and,  acknowledging  the  shot  with  angry  growls,  she 
re-entered  the  reeds. 

A  number  of  the  dogs,  which  had  gone  off"  after  a 
herd  of  blue  wildebeests,  now  returned,  and,  coming 
down  through  the  long  grass,  started  a  third  lioness, 

L2 


250  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

which  came  growling  down  into  the  cover  and  joined 
her  comrades.  This  was  the  signal  for  my  united  pack 
to  make  a  bold  sally  into  the  center  of  the  lions'  den, 
when  they  were  savagely  met  by  the  three  lionesses, 
who  rushed  furiously  up  and  down,  knocking  the  dogs 
about  with  just  as  much  facility  as  three  cats  would 
have  disposed  of  the  same  number  of  mice.  For  sev- 
eral minutes  nothing  was  to  be  heard  but  the  crashing 
of  the  reeds,  the  growling  of  the  lions,  and  the  barking 
and  shrieking  of  the  mangled  pack  :  it  was  truly  a  most 
painful  moment  to  my  feelings.  Carey,  who  had  come 
up  to  assist,  remarked  to  me  that  "  there  was  an  awful 
massacree  going  on  among  the  dogs;"  and  he  was  right. 
Night  now  setting  in  put  an  end  to  this  horrid  work, 
and,  with  feelings  of  remorse  and  deep  regret  at  my 
folly  in  not  having  at  once  called  off  my  poor  dogs,  I 
wended  my  way  to  camp.  On  numbering  the  slain, 
three  of  my  best  hounds  were  found  to  have  forfeited 
their  lives  in  the  unequal  contest,  and  seven  or  eight 
more  were  very  badly  wounded,  exposing  the  most 
fearful  gashes,  from  which  several  of  them  never  re- 
covered. While  I  was  occupied  with  the  lions  my  fol- 
lowers were  forming  a  kraal  for  the  cattle. 

Before  the  day  began  to  break  next  morning  lions 
were  heard  roaring  to  the  west :  accordingly,  I  rode  in 
that  direction  with  Booi  and  a  detachment  of  dogs,  still 
resolved  to  follow  the  king  of  beasts,  notwithstanding 
the  disasters  of  the  former  day.  Having  ridden  about 
a  mile,  we  reached  the  end  of  a  long  piece  of  cover, 
averaging  a  hundred  yards  in  breadth,  where  I  at  once 
discovered  the  fresh  spoor  of  a  troop  of  lions.  The  dogs 
took  it  up  and  followed  on  at  a  wary  pace,  the  hair 
bristling  on  their  backs.  On  reaching  the  end  of  this 
cover  a  second  one  appeared  several  hundred  yards  to 


ENCOUNTER    -WITH    LIONS.  251 

my  right,  while  a  little  to  my  left  was  a  small  vley, 
and  here  I  observed  a  jackal  steal  away,  while  a  crow 
sounded  his  ominous  voice  in  advance. 

These  signs  bid  fair  for  the  proximity  of  lions,  and  I 
remarked  to  Booi  that  we  must  be  upon  them ;  it  was 
so.  Next  moment  I  observed  a  yellowish  form  on  a 
barish  spot  two  hundred  yards  ahead,  which  we  knew 
must  be  the  lion,  and  thither  we  rode  at  top  speed.  On 
observing  us  he  raised  his  noble  head,  but  quickly 
again  laid  it  flat  on  the  ground,  intending  to  crouch  in 
the  hope  that  we  should  pass  him  by  unnoticed.  Within 
twenty  yards  of  him  lay  a  noble  lioness,  with  two  half- 
grown  young  lions.  On  seeing  that  our  course  was 
direct  for  where  they  lay,  they  bounded  up  and  charged 
for  the  cover  to  our  right,  the  old  lion  displaying  more 
cowardice  than  either  his  royal  spouse  or  the  young 
lions,  and  taking  the  lead  at  the  best  pace  that  he  could 
muster.  I  did  not  wait  for  my  rifle,  but  shouting  to  my 
dogs  I  pressed  forward  and  tried  to  cut  off"  his  retreat. 
I  was  even  with  him  and  the  lioness,  and  within  twenty 
yards,  when  they  reached  the  cover,  which  they  sullenly 
entered.  The  dogs  seemingly  were  apprehensive  of  fol- 
lowing too  near  such  dangerous  game,  probably  warned 
by  the  fate  of  their  comrades  on  the  preceding  day. 

The  noble  game  having  thus  retreated,  I  placed  Booi 
at  one  end  of  the  cover  to  keep  watch,  while  I  rode  to  the 
other  end  to  beat  up  through  the  center  with  the  dogs. 
Twice  I  drew  the  cover  unsuccessfully,  but  the  third 
time  the  dogs  found  the  lioness  lying  under  a  bushy 
tree.  Then  followed  a  bay,  when  I  rode  up  and  gave 
her  both  barrels  behind  the  shoulder,  which  partially 
disabled  her.  My  third  shot  entered  beside  her  eye  and 
blew  away  the  entire  half  of  her  brain-pan.  When  rid- 
ing up  I  had  heard  a  dog  shriek,  and  on  looking  round 


252  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

me  I  beheld  poor  Vitberg,  a  valuable  dog,  and  one  that 
was  extremely  attached  to  me,  lying  on  the  ground 
utterly  disabled,  with  his  hip  so  fearfully  mangled  that 
I  was  obliged  to  blow  his  brains  out. 

A  fourth  time  we  drew  the  cover  for  the  old  lion,  but 
were  still  unsuccessful.  Booi  and  I  then  skinned  the 
lioness,  cut  off  her  head,  and  returned  to  camp.  Shortly 
after  reaching  the  wagons  I  observed  a  blue  wildebeest 
approaching  my  cattle,  which  I  stalked  and  shot.  The 
afternoon  set  in  with  a  most  terrific  hail-storm,  such  as 
I  had  never  before  witnessed  ;  many  of  the  stones  were 
from  two  to  three  inches  in  diameter.  The  storm  came 
on  with  a  sound  resembling  the  roaring  of  the  sea :  a 
dense  intervening  fall  of  rain  obscuring  our  view,  we 
were  at  a  loss  to  think  what  it  could  be.  The  storm 
sent  our  cattle  and  horses  flying  before  it  for  miles 
across  the  plain,  and  they  were  hardly  recovered  before 
the  sun  was  under.  It  blew  a  gale  of  wind  throughout 
the  first  half  of  the  night,  tremendous  showers  of  hail 
and  rain  succeeding  one  another  in  quick  succession, 
accompanied  by  appalling  thunder  and  lightning. 

As  the  day  broke  we  heard  lions  moaning  to  the  west, 
and  I  rode  in  quest  of  them,  accompanied  by  Mr.  O. 
and  Carey,  with  a  detachment  of  dogs.  In  drawing 
the  cover  beside  which  I  had  found  the  lions  yesterday, 
I  came  upon  two  young  lions,  one  of  which,  standing 
to  give  us  battle,  I  finished  with  two  shots :  his  com- 
rade stole  away,  but  after  a  sharp  burst  the  dogs  ran 
him  to  bay,  when  I  rode  up,  and,  dismounting,  flogged 
the  dogs  off,  and  slew  him  with  a  single  shot  in  the  skull. 

The  next  morning,  which  was  the  9th,  for  several 
hours  before  the  day  diiwned,  a  lion  stood  roaring  ter- 
ribly on  a  bushy  eminence  within  two  hundred  yards 
of  the  wagons,  and  held  west  just  as  it  became  light, 


THE    CAMP    ROBBED    BY    IIY^?JAS.  253 

roaring  occasionally  as  he  went.  We  determined  to 
give  him  battle  if  we  could  only  find  him,  and  before  it 
was  clear  we  were  in  our  saddles  pricking  along  the 
edge  of  the  vley,  accompanied  by  about  a  dozen  of  the 
dogs,  who  started  the  noble  beast,  but  he  got  away  un- 
seen by  any  of  us. 

Our  dogs  kept  up  an  incessant  barking  during  the 
night,  and  we  imagined  that  lions  were  prowling  around 
our  camp.  In  the  morning,  however,  we  discovered  that 
we  had  been  favored  with  the  presence  of  far  less  illus- 
trious, yet  more  presuming  visitors.  A  pack  of  auda- 
cious hyaenas  had  visited  our  fireside,  and,  not  content 
with  cracking  and  swallowing  the  bones  which  they 
found  there,  they  had  eaten  our  table-cloth,  which  con- 
sisted of  the  skin  of  a  sable  antelope,  and  carried  off 
the  lid  of  our  canteen  and  two  large  camp-stools,  which 
I  lately  had  made  to  order  in  Colesberg.  One  of  these 
we  had  the  good  fortune  to  recover,  minus  the  rheim- 
pys ;  the  other  will  probably  be  found  in  after  years, 
and  preserved  as  a  Beehuana  or  Bushman  relic. 

On  the  12th  I  drew  up  my  wagons  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  famous  Meritsane.  Here  I  had  the  pleasure  to 
find  that,  owing  to  a  large  tract  of  the  country  having 
been  burned  by  the  Bakalahari  some  months  previous- 
ly, and  favored  by  the  rainy  season,  a  rich  and  verdant 
crop  of  young  grass  had  sprung  up,  giving  the  undu- 
lating plains  a  fresh  and  vernal  appearance.  I  was  de- 
lighted on  beholding  this,  for  I  knew  that  it  would  have 
the  effect  of  attracting  the  game  hither  from  all  the  sur- 
rounding parts,  and  I  confidently  hoped  to  fall  in  with 
elands,  as  they  are  generally  met  with  by  the  foremost 
hunters  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Meritsane.  Having  break- 
fasted, I  saddled  up  three  of  my  fleetest  steeds,  and,  ac- 
companied by  two  after-riders,  rode  forth  in  a  north- 


254  ADVENTURES    IN  SOUTH    AFRICA. 

erlj  direction,  and  carefully  sought  for  eland's  spoor, 
Presently  I  crossed  the  old  Kuruman  road,  and  imme- 
diately discovered  fresh  spoor,  similar  to  that  of  elands, 
but,  in  my  opinion,  a  little  too  large.  In  a  buffalo  coun- 
try I  should  have  at  once  pronounced  it  to  be  the  spoor 
of  buffaloes,  but  these  for  many  years  had  not  frequent- 
ed the  Meritsane,  and  were  not  to  be  expected  nearer 
than  the  Molopo.  Even  in  the  days  of  Harris,  twelve 
years  ago  or  upward,  buffaloes  had  forsaken  the  Merit- 
sane.  As  I  rode  on,  the  spoor  became  more  abundant, 
and  very  soon  fresh  dung  disclosed  to  me  that  a  very 
large  herd  of  buffaloes  had  lately  pastured  there. 

The  spoor  of  zebras,  blue  wildebeests,  hartebeests, 
and  sassaybies  was  extremely  abundant,  and  of  all  these 
I  fell  in  with  very  considerable  herds.  I  had  resolved, 
however,  not  to  disturb  the  country,  for  fear  of  starting 
any  elands  which  might  be  there,  and  rode  past,  leav- 
ing them  unmolested.  After  proceeding  for  many  miles, 
I  had  the  mortification  to  ascertain  that  only  a  very  few 
elands  now  frequented  these  parts,  and  after  a  fruit- 
less search  for  these  few  I  turned  my  face  for  camp, 
and  resolved  to  fire  into  whatever  game  I  might  fall  in 
with.  I  yached  a  large  herd  of  blue  wildebeests  and  a 
herd  of  hartebeests,  and  was  very  unfortunate,  wound- 
ing several,  but  failing  to  secure  one.  This  was  to  me 
most  particularly  annoying,  our  flesh  in  camp  being 
completely  exhausted,  and  my  large  pack  of  dogs  fam- 
ishing. I  resolved,  therefore,  to  march  next  morning 
for  Lotlokane,  and  hunt  in  advance  of  the  wagons. 

The  next  day  I  rode  forth  with  one  after-rider,  re- 
solved to  do  my  best  to  supply  the  deficiency  in  camp. 
t  directed  the  wagons  to  follow,  and  outspan  at  the 
Plat  Rocks,  half  way  to  Lotlokane.  I  had  proceeded 
out  a  short  distance  when  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  be« 


A    HERD    OF    BUFFALOES.  255 

hold  a  magnificent  herd  of  buffaloes  quietly  pasturing 
.within  half  a  mile  of  me  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the 
Meritsane.  This  was  a  first-rate  look-out,  and  exactly 
what  I  stood  in  need  of,  considering  the  present  low 
state  of  my  commissariat.  I  returned  to  meet  the  wag- 
ons, where  I  saddled  another  steed,  named  Brown,  which 
was  steady  under  fire,  and  once  more  rode  forth,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  O.,  with  two  after-riders,  and  a  large  de- 
tachment of  the  dogs,  resolved  to  deal  death  among 
the  buffaloes.  We  rode  to  leeward  of  the  herd  to  give 
the  dogs  their  wind,  and  then  galloped  in  upon  them. 
At  first,  bewildered,  they  stood  gazing  at  us  until  we 
were  within  thirty  yards  of  them,  when,  seeing  their 
danger,  a  panic  spread  throughout  the  whole  herd,  and, 
wheeling  about,  they  crashed  along  through  the  under- 
wood in  a  dense  mass,  impeding  one  another's  progress. 
In  two  minutes  I  was  alongside  of  the  herd,  and,  dis- 
mounting, fired  right  and  left  into  two  old  cows ;  one 
of  these  immediately  dropped  to  the  rear  of  the  troop, 
and,  staggering  for  a  few  seconds,  fell  over  and  ex- 
pired. The  herd  now  left  the  river  and  doubled  back, 
passing  through  a  belt  of  low  cover.  I  halted  a  mo- 
ment to  load.  Following  on,  I  came  right  upon  the 
other  buffalo  that  I  had  wounded,  standing  with  a  com- 
rade in  a  dense  bush.  I  observed  her  before  she  could 
charge  me,  and  three  more  shots  laid  her  low.  The  re- 
ports of  Mr.  O.'s  gun  now  sounded  ahead,  and,  gallop- 
ing forward,  I  observed  him  to  my  right  actively  en- 
gaged with  four  old  buffaloes,  which  stood  at  bay  in  a 
large  bush  in  the  open  country :  the  herd  had  vanished. 
A  single  buffalo,  however,  was  at  this  moment  making 
off  between  me  and  Mr.  O.,  to  which  I  gave  chase. 
My  after-rider  was  up  first,  and  headed  it,  when  the 
buffalo  charged  him  furiously,  and  next  moment  she 


256  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

charged  me,  but  my  trusty  steed  was  too  active  for  her, 
and  I  bowled  her  over  with  two  good  shots  in  the  shoul-, 
der.  I  then  rode  up  to  assist  Mr.  O.  Two  of  the  four 
buffaloes  were  lying  wounded  in  the  bush.  Riding  up 
within  forty  yards  of  them,  I  fired  into  a  fine  old  cow, 
when  she  and  her  comrade  broke  bay,  and  took  down 
to  the  river.  Some  of  my  dogs  now  came  up  to  my 
assistance,  and  brought  the  wounded  buffalo  to  bay  in 
the  stream,  and  two  more  shots  laid  her  low. 

I  then  rode  to  meet  my  wagons,  which  were  stand- 
ing on  the  rising  ground  above ;  and  as  I  was  direct- 
ing my  men  where  to  draw  up,  I  observed  two  more 
buffaloes  coming  down  the  river's  side,  which,  observ- 
ing us,  took  shelter  in  a  belt  of  lofty  reeds.  Most  of 
my  dogs  having  come  up,  I  resolved  to  have  another 
chase,  and  rode  straight  for  the  reeds  where  the  buffa- 
loes had  disappeared.  I  came  right  upon  a  noble  bull, 
within  four  yards  of  him.  Fortunately  for  me,  he  did 
not  charge,  but  broke  away  up  the  river  side,  followed 
by  the  dogs.  He  led  me  a  sharp  chase,  and  came  to 
bay  at  last,  when  he  fell  with  two  shots  within  thirty 
yards  of  the  second  cow  I  had  shot  in  the  commence- 
ment of  the  chase.  This  made  five  old  buffaloes  I  had 
bagged  out  of  the  herd  ;  Mr.  O.  bagged  his  two,  making 
in  all  seven. 

After  breakfast  I  dispatched  men  with  two  spans  of 
oxen,  directing  them  to  select  four  of  the  fattest  buffa- 
loes and  drag  them  to  the  wagons.  All  hands  were 
busy  butchering  and  salting  until  sundown.  In  the 
evening  I  went  out  with  my  rifle  in  quest  of  a  buffalo 
calf  which  had  been  left  by  the  herd  in  the  morning. 
On  observing  me,  the  savage  young  buffalo,  to  my  ut- 
ter astonishment,  turned  upon  me,  and  charged  down 
in  the  most  determined  manner.     I  stood  his  charge, 


A    HUGE    LION    SHOT.  257 

with  my  rifle  at  my  shoulder,  and,  covering  his  fore- 
head until  he  was  within  four  yards  of  mo,  arrested  him 
in  full  career  with  a  ball  in  the  forehead. 

Three  of  the  buffaloes  which  we  had  shot  having 
been  left  in  the  veld,  I  deemed  it  more  than  probable 
that  a  lion  might  be  found  on  some  one  of  them  if 
sought  for  at  early  dawn  ;  accordingly,  having  substi- 
tuted a  bowl  of  warm  milk  for  coffee,  I  rode  forth  with 
an  after-rider  and  a  troop  of  my  dogs  to  seek  the  king 
of  beasts.  On  gaining  the  first  buffalo,  I  found  that 
my  natives  had  left  a  flag  of  peace  flying  over  him, 
which  had  guarded  him  from  the  attacks  of  the  beasts 
of  prey.  Upon  the  second  buffalo,  however,  a  hundred 
vultures  were  feasting  merrily ;  but,  as  I  approached 
the  third,  the  sudden  rush  of  a  flight  of  vultures  over 
my  head  toward  the  buffalo  told  me  that  some  occu- 
pant which  had  hitherto  kept  them  aloof  had  that  mo- 
ment quitted  the  carcass,  and  on  galloping  forward  and 
clearing  an  intervening  rising  ground,  I  had  the  satis- 
faction to  behold  a  huge  and  shaggy  lion  trotting  slow- 
ly off  toward  the  cover  along  the  banks  of  the  river, 
within  two  hundred  yards  of  me. 

I  instantly  rode  for  him  at  top  speed  to  get  my  dogs 
clear  of  the  carrion,  and,  if  possible,  to  bring  the  lion  to 
bay  before  he  should  gain  any  bad  cover.  We  came 
up  with  him  just  as  he  gained  a  small  belt  of  reeds  on 
the  river's  bank.  The  lion  sprang  into  the  river's  bed 
and  stood  at  bay.  Riding  up  within  fifteen  yards,  I  dis- 
abled him  with  a  shot  in  the  shoulder,  and  then,  spring- 
ing from  my  horse,  which  was  unsteady,  went  up  to 
within  twelve  yards  on  foot,  and  finished  him  with  my 
second  shot,  which  he  got  behind  the  shoulder.  This 
was  a  fine  old  lion,  with  perfect  tusks  and  a  very  beau- 
tiful coat  of  hair.     Leaving  Booi  to  protect  him  from 


258  ADVENTI  RES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

the  vultures,  I  rode  to  camp,  and  dispatched  men  with 
instructions  to  flay  him  with  the  utmost  care.  In  the 
afternoon  I  inspanned,  intending  to  march,  but  con.tin- 
ued  showers  of  rain  prevented  me.  Next  day,  how- 
ever, we  reached  Lotlokane. 

As  morning  dawned  on  the  16th  a  lion  roared  to  the 
north  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  us,  and  shortly  after 
two  other  lions  moaned  to  the  east.  I  rode  in  quest  of 
them  with  dogs  and  an  after-rider.  Hartebeests,  ze- 
bras, and  pallahs  were  standing  about  in  all  directions, 
and,  leading  my  dogs  away,  I  failed  to  find  the  lion. 
In  the  forenoon,  anxious  to  obtain  a  gemsbok,  I  sad- 
dled up  my  three  fleetest  steeds,  and  rode  in  a  north- 
erly direction,  with  two  after-riders,  taking  with  me  a 
light  single-barreled  gun.  I  started  several  fine  stein- 
boks,  which  are  here  abundant.  Having  ridden  a  few 
miles,  T  entered  upon  a  magnificent  level  park,  thickly 
adorned  with  groves  of  thorn-trees,  on  which  were  graz- 
ing large  herds  of  blue  wildebeests,  zebras,  hartebeests, 
and  springboks.  Knowing  that  eland  and  gemsbok  are 
generally  to  be  found  in  the  vicinity  of  herds  of  other 
game,  I  resolved  to  ride  in  a  semicircle  to  windward  of 
these,  and  carefully  examine  the  ground  for  the  game 
I  sought. 

Having  made  a  sweep  for  this  purpose,  we  were 
slowly  returning,  when  four  superb  elands  charged  up- 
wind right  in  our  faces.  To  these  we  instantly  gave 
chase.  Booi,  coming  up  first,  singled  out  the  heaviest 
bull,  which  he  broke  from  the  troop,  and  drove  toward 
camp.  Coming  up  with  the  remaining  three,  I  select- 
ed the  best  head,  and,  after  a  sharp  chase,  laid  him  low 
wicii  a  single  ball  in  the  shoulder.  I  then  rode  to  as- 
sist Booi,  who  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  wind- 
ward on  the  plain  below  me ;  and,  coming  up  to  him, 


THE    LIMPOPO    AGAIN.  259 

we  cannily  drove  on  the  noble  eland,  which  we  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  right  up  to  the  wagons,  where  I 
bowled  him  over  with  two  shots  in  the  shoulder.  Not 
yet  having  a  stuffed  bull  eland's  head,  and  this  being 
a  fair  specimen,  I  directed  it  to  be  cut  off  for  my  col- 
lection. 

We  now  held  on  for  the  Molopo,.  upon  the  banks  of 
which  I  had  some  fine  sport  with  roan  antelope  and  reit- 
buck,  and  on  the  29th  of  May  reached  Sichely's  kraal 
on  the  Kouleubeng. 

Within  a  mile  of  this  chiePs  residence  we  were  met 
by  parties  of  the  Baquaines  :  these  men  had  been  sent 
by  Sichely  to  ascertain  who  we  were,  he  having  heard 
from  some  Bakalahari  that  three  wagons  were  at  hand. 
I  saddled  up  and  rode  ahead  of  the  wagons  with  Mr. 
Livingstone's  letters. 

On  the  31st  we  again  inspanned  and  held  on  for  the 
Limpopo,  reaching  my  old  drift  on  that  river  on  the  15th 
of  June. 

The  greater  part  of  the  day  was  devoted  to  cutting 
down  the  opposite  bank  and  getting  the  wagons  through, 
which  we  accomplished  by  sundown,  taking  each  wag- 
on through  with  twenty  oxen. 

On  the  18th,  the  moon  being  full,  I  crossed  the  river 
with  Mr.  Orpen,  Carey,  and  attendants,  and  made  for 
the  fountain  at  Charebe,  in  the  hope  of  enjoying  some 
night  shooting  with  elephants.  We  had  the  ill  luck  to 
alarm  the  elephants  frequenting  the  water  and  to  drive 
them  out  of  the  district.  On  the  23d,  as  I  was  return- 
ing to  camp  from  the  water  at  Guapa,  we  suddenly 
heard  the  cry  of  elephants  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to 
windward.  I  took  Ramachumie  along  with  me,  and 
\e\<\  forward  for  an  inspection  of  the  troop. 

ThM  cries  of  elephants  were  repeated  in  difforeut  ai- 


260  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

rections,  and  I  at  once  knew  that  there  must  be  a  very 
large  herd  of  them.  Having  ascended  a  lofty  thorn-tree, 
I  obtained  a  view  of  the  gray  backs  of  some  of  the  ele- 
phants appearing  above  the  underwood  of  the  forest.  I 
sent  Ramachumie  back  to  bring  up  the  dogs,  and  when 
they  came  I  rode  forward  for  a  nearer  inspection.  It 
was  a  troop  of  upward  of  a  hundred  elephants,  but  it 
consisted  entirely  of  cows  and  young  bulls.  Having 
endeavored  for  nearly  half  an  hour  to  select  a  good  ele- 
phant, I  crept  in  within  fifteen  yards  of  a  fairish  bull, 
and  gave  him  a  shot  behind  the  shoulder :  my  follow- 
ers, however,  failed  to  slip  the  dogs  or  to  bring  on  my 
horse,  and  while  I  ran  back  for  them  the  elephant  got 
away  in  the  herd.  The  dogs  attacked  another  bull, 
which,  after  a  long  chase,  I  rolled  over.  The  elephant 
had  scarcely  fallen,  when  old  Mutehuisho,  with  a  party 
of  Bamangwato  men,  came  up  like  a  flight  of  vultures 
in  quest  of  flesh.  The  next  day  I  shot  another  ele- 
phant. 

On  the  29th  I  again  inspanned,  and  in  the  afternoon 
crossed  the  Mocoolwey  and  drew  up  on  its  opposite 
bank.  On  the  march  I  hunted  ahead  of  the  wagons, 
and  shot  a  water-buck  and  doe,  and  started  a  troop  of 
seven  or  eight  lions,  headed  by  a  patriarchal-looking  old 
fellow  of  unusual  size. 

One  long  march  across  the  country  on  the  next  day 
brought  the  wagons  to  the  Basileka.  I  hunted  ahead 
of  the  wagons,  and  shot  two  pallahs  and  a  cow  camel- 
opard.  We  formed  the  wagons  at  my  old  camp;  but, 
observing  tsetse  on  the  horses,  I  at  once  resolved  to  leave 
SeJeka's  on  the  morrow. 

Ahoat  midnight  a  huge  lion  made  a  most  daring  at- 
tack on  my  cattle  kraal,  charging  recklessly  liirough 
the  thick  thorn  hedge :  he  sent  the  panic-stricken  cat' 


A    HEART-SICKENING    SIGHT.  261 

tie  flying  in  dire  confusion,  and  dashed  to  the  ground  a 
valuable  ox,  which  lay  groaning  in  his  powerful  grasp. 
I  was  awakened  by  the  noise,  and,  instantly  directing 
a  troop  of  the  dogs  to  be  let  loose,  the  cowardly  lion 
was  put  to  flight.  The  poor  ox  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
joined  his  companions,  but  I  was  obliged  to  shoot  him 
next  day,  his  fore  and  hind  quarters  having  been  fear- 
fully lacerated. 

About  9  A.M.  I  left  Seleka's,  and  at  sundown  halted 
on  the  Limpopo,  opposite  Guapa. 

Here  I  remained  for  many  days,  making  successful 
excursions  with  Mr.  Orpen  across  the  river  in  search 
of  elephants.  On  these  occasions,  however,  and  like- 
wise upon  all  subsequent  encounters  with  the  ele- 
phants, I  had  the  mortification  to  remark,  that  on  com- 
ing up  with  them,  my  followers  invariably  yielded  to  a 
natural  impulse,  and  thus  throughout  the  entire  expe- 
dition the  whole  brunt  of  the  elephant  hunting  lay  upon 
my  shoulders,  not  a  single  elephant  being  bagged  or 
even  wounded  by  any  individual  in  my  establishment 
except  myself 

On  our  return  from  one  of  these  expeditions  we  came 
upon  a  heart-sickening  sight.  The  Bamalette  tribe, 
through  whose  district  we  were  now  hunting,  had  been 
attacked  and  put  to  flight  by  Sicomy  a  few  months  be- 
fore, when  a  large  number  of  them  were  massacred,  in 
consequence  of  which  they  had  deserted  their  former 
town  and  ensconced  themselves  in  an  elevated  ravine 
in  the  mountains.  We  visited  their  deserted  town  and 
the  ground  over  which  they  had  been  pursued  and  slain. 
We  were  horrified  to  behold  the  bleaching  bones  and 
skulls  of  those  who  had  fallen  ;  the  wolf  and  jackal  had 
feasted  on  their  remains,  and  laid  the  long  grass  flat 
round  each  skeleton,  and  the  blood  was  still  visible 


262  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

upon  the  stones.  Hair  and  torn  fragments  of  karosses 
lay  scattered  around. 

On  the  12th  I  had  another  hard  day  in  the  mount- 
ains after  elephants,  and  at  night  I  watched  a  fountain 
and  shot  an  old  lioness.  She  came  and  drank  within 
ten  yards  of  me  ;  the  ball  entered  the  center  of  her 
breast,  and  rested  in  the  skin  in  the  middle  of  her  back. 

On  the  13th  I  dispatched  men  to  camp  with  the  skin 
of  the  lioness,  and  held  south  for  Charcbe,  M'hich  I  found 
still  deserted  by  the  elephants.  In  the  evening  the  na- 
tives were  all  busy  cooking  the  flesh  of  the  lioness, 
which  was  excessively  fat,  and  esteemed  by  them  a  par- 
ticular delicacy. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  at  sunrise,  we  inspanned  and 
held  down  the  river,  leaving  three  more  of  my  stud  be- 
hind me,  two  dead  and  the  other  dying  of  tsetse.  At 
sundown  we  halted  about  twenty  miles  down  the  river. 
While  on  our  march  next  morning  we  came  across  the 
fresh  spoor  of  a  troop  of  bull  elephants,  when  I  imme- 
diately outspanned.  I  was  proceeding  to  follow  up  the 
elephants'  spoor,  when  I  was  met  by  a  party  of  Bak- 
alahari,  who  informed  me  that  other  elephants  had 
drunk  on  the  opposite  side,  and  some  miles  higher  up 
the  river,  during  the  night.  I  resolved  to  go  there  in 
quest  of  them.  "We  crossed  the  Limpopo  at  a  most 
rocky  drift,  where  the  horses  were  in  danger  of  break- 
ing their  legs,  and,  holding  up  the  river,  took  up  the 
spoor  of  three  old  bulls.  Having  followed  it  for  five 
miles,  we  at  length  got  into  a  country  so  densely  cov- 
ered with  locusts  that  the  spoor  was  no  longer  visible. 
A  large  herd  of  elephants  had,  during  several  previous 
nights,  however,  been  there  feasting  upon  these  in- 
sects. After  a  little  while  we  made  a  cast  in  advance, 
and  again  discovered  the  spoor  of  the  three  bulls,  and 


ELEPHANT    HUNTING.  263 

came  np  with  them  about  an  hour  before  sundown,  in 
company  with  a  noble  troop  of  about  fifteen  other  bull 
elephants,  and,  the  wind  being  favorable,  they  were  not 
aware  of  our  approach.  While  riding  slowly  round 
them  on  the  lee  side,  endeavoring  to  select  the  best 
bull,  a  splendid  old  fellow  broke  across  from  my  right, 
whose  ivory  far  surpassed  any  other  in  the  herd.  To 
him  I  accordingly  adhered,  and  laid  him  low  after  an 
easy  battle,  having  only  given  him  five  shots.  I  re- 
ceived no  assistance  from  my  dogs,  they,  as  is  often  the 
case,  having  packed  upon  the  worst  elephant  in  the 
troop.  The  tusks  of  this  huge  elephant  being  unusual- 
ly perfect,  I  resolved  to  preserve  the  entire  skull.  I  ac- 
cordingly sent  a  messenger  to  camp  to  instruct  my  peo- 
ple to  bring  a  wagon  for  the  head,  while  I  stood  sentry 
over  it.  Three  days  passed  before  the  wagon  appeared, 
hcving  had  to  cross  the  Limpopo  at  a  ford  many^miles 
above  my  camp.  I  occupied  myself  in  the  mean  time 
in  preparing  the  feet  of  the  elephant,  which  I  preserved. 

In  a  few  days  we  reached  the  fountain  of  Seboono, 
at  which  I  watched  for  several  nights,  and  slew  some 
fine  old  elephants  with  splendid  tusks.  I  hunted,  as 
during  last  season,  by  moonlight  with  dogs,  and  by  the 
24th  of  August  had  the  satisfaction  of  making  up  my 
bag  to  a  hundred  and  five  select  elephants  killed  in 
South  Africa.  We  now  found  the  district  to  be  much 
deserted  by  the  elephants,  and  accordingly  inspanhed 
the  wagons  on  the  3d  of  September,  and  marched  down 
the  Limpopo  toward  the  district  frequented  by  hippo- 
potami. 

On  the  4th  I  rode  up  the  river  to  shoot  hippopotami. 
Of  these  I  found  three  troops,  and  bagged  one  first-rate 
bull  and  wounded  others.  I  saw  several  crocodiles  of 
unusual  vastness.     Some  cf  them  must  hiive  been  six- 


264  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

teen  feet  in  length,  with  bodies  as  large  as  that  of  an 
ox.  Returning  to  the  wagons  in  the  evening,  I  heard 
Mr.  O.  engaged  with  a  huge,  invincible  old  bull  hippo- 
potamus. On  going  to  his  assistance,  and  finding  that 
he  had  expended  his  ammunition,  I  attacked  the  hip- 
popotamus, which  I  barely  finished  with  six  or  eight 
more  shots. 

We  rode  down  the  river  for  several  mornings  hunt- 
ing after  hippopotami,  a  great  number  of  which  we 
killed.  As  the  tusks  of  some  of  these  were  very  fine, 
we  chopped  them  out  of  the  jaw-bones,  a  work  of  con- 
siderable difficulty.  On  the  17th  I  was  attacked  with 
acute  rheumatic  fever,  which  kept  me  to  my  bed,  and 
gave  me  excruciating  pain.  While  I  lay  in  this  help- 
less state,  Mr.  Orpen  and  Present,  who  had  gone  up 
the  river  to  shoot  sea-cows,  fell  in  with  an  immense 
male  Jeopard,  which  the  latter  wounded  very  badly. 
They  then  sent  natives  to  camp  to  ask  me  for  dogs,  of 
which  I  sent  them  a  pair.  In  about  an  hour  the  na- 
tives came  running  to  camp  and  said  that  Orpen  was 
killed  by  the  leopard.  On  further  inquiry,  however,  I 
found  that  he  vras  not  really  killed,  but  fearfully  torn 
and  bitten  about  the  arms  and  head.  They  had  rashly 
taken  up  the  spoor  on  foot,  the  dogs  following  behind 
them,  instead  of  going  in  advance.  The  consequence 
of  this  was,  that  they  came  right  upon  the  leopard  be- 
fore they  were  aware  of  him,  when  Orpen  fired  and 
missed  him.  The  leopard  then  sprang  on  his  shoulders, 
and,  dashing  him  to  the  ground,  lay  upon  him  growl- 
ing and  lacerating  his  hands,  arms,  and  head  most  fear- 
fully. Presently  the  leopard  permitted  Orpen  to  rise 
and  come  away.  Where  were  the  gallant  Present  and 
all  the  natives,  that  not  a  man  of  them  moved  to  assist 
the  unfortunate  Orpen  ?     According  to  an  establishf)d 


HELPLESS    CONDITION.  265 

custom  among  all  colonial  servants,  the  instant  the 
leopard  sprang  he  discharged  his  piece  in  the  air,  and 
then,  dashing  it  to  the  ground,  rushed  down  the  bank 
and  sprang  into  the  river,  along  which  he  swam  some 
hundred  yards  before  he  would  venture  on  terra  firma. 
The  natives,  though  numerous  and  armed,  had  like- 
wise fled  in  another  direction. 


CHAPTER  XXXIL 

Mr.  Orpen  and  myself  in  a  helpless  Condition — We  leave  the  low-lying 
-'  ■•  iipopo  for  the  Mountains — Trading  with  Seleka — Ceremony  to  im 
part  the  Power  of  successful  Shooting — March  to  the  Ngotwani  and 
retrace  our  Steps  to  the  Limpopo — Enormous  Herds  of  Buffaloes — 
Au  exciting  Lion  Hunt — Three  of  my  Dogs  killed — The  noble  Beast 
takes  the  Water,  followed  by  a  Dog  and  a  Crocodile — A  bold  Mount- 
ain Ranger — Abundance  of  Game — A  brilliant  Lion  Hunt — Two  killed 
out  of  a  Troop  of  four — Rhinoceros  Hunting — Leave  the  Mariqua 
River — Sublime  Scenery — Another  Lion  Hunt — A  Buffalo  rips  up  my 
After-rider's  Horse — Camelopard  Chase — Making  a  Road  to  cross 
the  Ngotwani — Sudden  Encounter  with  two  huge  Lions — Arrival  at 
Sichely's  Kraal. 

Both  Orpen  and  myself  were  now  reduced  to  a  state 
of  utter  helplessness — he  from  his  wounds,  which  were 
many  and  dangerous,  and  I  from  the  fever,  though  I 
was  slowly  recovering.  It  was  of  no  use,  therefore,  to 
remain  longer  in  the  low-lying  district  about  the  Lim- 
popo, so  I  resolved  to  march  on  steadily  to  Sichely's 
country.  We  accordingly  marched  on  the  27th  of  Sep- 
tember, and  on  the  2d  of  October  encamped  on  tiie 
bank  of  the  Limpopo,  a  little  above  its  junction  with 
the  Lepalala.  Here  Seleka's  men  requested  me  to  halt 
a  day,  as  their  chief  wished  to  trade  with  me,  which  T 
agreed  to  do. 

V„i.  IT.— M 


266  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

Next  morning  Seleka  arrived  with  a  considerable 
retinue,  bringing  some  good  specimens  of  Bechuana 
arms  to  barter  for  muskets  and  ammunition.  He  made 
me  a  present  of  some  Bechuana  beer,  and  a  sort  of 
fermented  porridge ;  this,  he  said,  he  considered  as  a 
gift,  but  he  expected  that  I,  in  return,  would  give  him 
some  gunpowder.  This  is  the  usual  style  of  presents 
in  Southern  Africa. 

In  the  afternoon  I  exchanged  a  musket  for  nine  very- 
handsome  assagais,  a  battle-ax,  and  two  shields  of  buf- 
falo hide.  I  also  exchanged  some  assagais  for  ammu- 
nition, and  obtained  other  articles  of  native  manufac- 
ture in  payment  for  cutting  the  arms  of  two  or  three 
of  the  nobility,  and  rubbing  medicine  into  the  incis...riS, 
to  enable  them  to  shoot  well.  While  performing  this 
absurd  ceremony,  in  which  the  Bechuanas  have  un- 
bounded faith,  I  held  before  the  eyes  of  the  initiated 
sportsman  prints  of  each  of  the  game  quadrupeds  of  the 
country  ;  at  the  same  time  anointing  him  with  the 
medicine  (which  was  common  turpentine),  and  looking 
him  most  seriously  in  the  face,  I  said,  in  his  own  lan- 
guage, "Slay  the  game  well;  let  the  course  of  thy 
bullet  be  through  the  hearts  of  the  wild  beasts,  thine 
hand  and  heart  be  strong  against  the  lion,  against  the 
great  elephant,  against  the  rhinoceros,  against  the  buf- 
falo," &c. 

On  the  0th  we  marched  at  sunrise,  and,  trekking 
steadily  along,  arrived  on  the  8th  at  the  drift  on  the 
Limpopo  where,  on  the  former  occasion,  I  had  crossed 
the  river.  The  game  was  very  abundant  in  our  course, 
but  Carey  and  Present  were  rarely  successful  in  killing, 
and  I  was  obliged,  at  length,  weak  as  I  was,  to  take 
the  field,  as  we  were  sadly  in  want  of  flesh.  On  the 
13th  W3  made  the  banks  of  the  Ngotwani.  u|>  which 


ENORMOUS    HERDS    OF    BUFFALOES.  267 

we  proceeded  for  several  days  ;  but,  finding  that  there 
was  scarcely  any  water  in  it,  and  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  reach  Sichely's  country  by  this  route,  I  de- 
termined to  retrace  my  steps.  We  accordingly  marched 
for  the  Limpopo,  which  I  fell  in  with  once  more  on  the 
23d,  having  killed  a  noble  old  lion  in  my  way. 

We  trekked  up  along  the  banks  of  the  river  for  the 
Mariqua,  and  a  little  before  sundown  fell  in  with  two 
enormous  herds  of  buffaloes,  one  of  which,  consisting 
chiefly  of  bulls,  stood  under  the  shady  trees  on  one  side 
of  the  bank,  while  the  other,  composed  chiefly  of  cows 
and  calves,  stood  on  the  opposite  side,  a  little  higher  up 
the  river.  In  all  there  were  at  least  three  hundred. 
Thinking  it  probable  that  if  I  hunted  them  I  might  kill 
some  old  bull  with  a  head  perhaps  worthy  of  my  collec- 
tion, I  ordered  my  men  to  outspan,  and,  having  saddled 
steeds,  gave  chase  to  the  herd  of  bulls,  accompanied  by 
Booi  and  my  dogs.  After  a  short  burst  they  took 
through  the  river,  whereby  I  lost  sight  of  an  old  bull 
which  carried  the  finest  head  in  the  herd.  My  dogs, 
however,  brought  a  cow  to  bay  as  they  crossed  the 
river,  which  I  shot  standing  in  the  water,  but  not  before 
siie  had  killed  a  particularly  favorite  bull-dog  named 
Pompey.  I  then  continued  the  chase,  and  again  came 
up  with  the  herd,  which  was  now  considerably  scat- 
tered ;  and  after  a  sharp  chase,  part  of  which  was 
through  thick  wait-a-bit  thorn  cover,  I  brought  eight 
or  nine  fine  bulls  to  bay  in  lofty  reeds  at  the  river's 
margin,  exactly  opposite  to  my  camp:  of  these  I  singled 
out  the  two  best  heads,  one  of  which  I  shot  with  five 
balls,  and  wounded  the  other  badly,  but  he  made  off 
while"  I  was  engaged  with  his  comrade. 

In  the  morning  I  instructed  four  of  my  people  to 
cross  the  river  and  bring  over  a  supply  of  bufialo  beef 


268  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFllICA. 

These  men  were  very  reluctant  to  go,  fearing  a  lion 
might  have  taken  possession  of  the  carcass.  On  pro- 
ceeding to  reconnoiter  from  our  side,  they  beheld  the 
majestic  beast  they  dreaded  walk  slowly  up  the  opposite 
bank  from  the  dead  buffalo,  and  take  up  a  position  on 
the  top  of  the  bank  under  some  shady  thorn-trees.  I 
resolved  to  give  him  battle,  and  rode  forth  with  my 
double-barreled  Westley  Richards  rifle,  followed  by 
men  leading  the  dogs.  Present,  who  was  one  of  the 
party,  carried  his  roer,  no  doubt  to  perform  wonders. 
The  wind  blew  up  the  river ;  I  held  up  to  seek  a  drift, 
and  crossed  a  short  distance  above  where  the  buffalo  lay. 
As  we  drew  near  the  spot,  I  observed  the  lion  sitting 
on  the  top  of  the  bank,  exactly  where  he  had  been  seen 
by  my  people.  On  my  right,  and  within  two  hundred 
yards  of  me,  was  a  very  extensive  troop  of  pallahs, 
which  antelope  invariably  manages  to  be  in  the  way 
when  they  are  not  at  all  wanted.  On  this  occasion, 
however,  I  succeeded  in  preventing  my  dogs  from  ob- 
serving them.  When  the  lion  saw  us  coming,  he  over- 
hauled us  for  a  moment,  and  then  slunk  down  the  bank 
for  concealment.  Being  well  to  leeward  of  him,  I  or- 
dered the  dogs  to  be  slipped,  and  galloped  forward. 

On  finding  that  he  was  attacked,  the  lion  at  first 
made  a  most  determined  bolt  for  it,  followed  by  all  the 
dogs  at  a  racing  pace;  and  when  they  came  up  with 
him  he  would  not  bay,  but  continued  his  course  down 
the  bank  of  the  river,  keeping  close  in  beside  the  reeds, 
growling  terribly  at  the  dogs,  which  kept  up  an  inces- 
sant angry  barking.  The  bank  of  the  river  was  inter- 
sected by  deep  water-courses,  and,  the  ground  being  ex- 
tremely slippery  from  the  rain  which  had  fallen  during 
the  night,  I  was  unable  to  overtake  him  until  he  came 
to  bay  in  a  patch  of  lofty  dense  reeds  which  grew  on  the 


ENCOUNTER    WITH    A    LION.  269 

lower  bank,  immediately  adjacent  to  the  river's  mar- 
gin. I  had  brought  out  eleven  of  my  dogs,  and  before 
I  could  come  up  three  of  them  were  killed.  On  reach- 
ing the  spot  I  found  it  impossible  to  obtain  the  small- 
est glimpse  of  the  lion,  although  the  ground  favored  me, 
I  having  the  upper  bank  to  stand  upon  ;  so,  dismount- 
ing from  my  horse,  I  tried  to  guess,  from  his  horrid 
growling,  his  exact  position,  and  fired  several  shots  on 
chance,  but  none  of  these  hit  him.  I  then  commenced 
pelting  him  with  lumps  of  earth  and  sticks,  there  being 
no  stones  at  hand.  This  had  the  effect  of  making  him 
shift  his  position,  but  he  still  kept  in  the  densest  part 
of  the  reeds,  where  I  could  do  nothing  with  him. 

Presently  my  followers  came  up,  who,  as  a  matter  of 
course,  at  once  established  themselves  safely  in  the  tops 
of  thorn-trees.  After  about  ten  minutes'  bullying,  the 
lion  seemed  to  consider  his  quarters  too  hot  for  him, 
and  suddenly  made  a  rush  to  escape  from  his  persecu- 
tors, continuing  his  course  down  along  the  edge  of  the 
river.  The  dogs,  however,  again  gave  him  chase,  and 
soon  brought  him  to  bay  in  another  dense  patch  of  reeds, 
just  as  bad  as  the  last.  Out  of  this  in  a  few  minutes 
1  managed  to  start  him,  when  he  bolted  up  the  river, 
and  came  to  bay  in  a  narrow  strip  of  reeds.  Here  ha 
lay  so  close  that  for  a  long  time  I  could  not  ascertain 
his  whereabouts ;  at  length,  however,  he  made  a  charge 
among  the  dogs,  and,  coming  forward,  took  up  a  posi- 
tion near  the  outside  of  the  reeds,  where  for  the  first 
time  I  was  enabled  to  give  him  a  shot.  My  ball  enter- 
ed his  body  a  little  behind  the  shoulder.  On  receiving 
it,  he  charged  growling  after  the  dogs,  but  not  furthei 
than  the  edge  of  the  reeds,  out  of  which  he  was  ex- 
tremely reluctant  to  move.  I  gave  him  a  second  shot, 
firing  for  his  head ;  my  ball  entered  at  the  edge  of  his 


270  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

eye,  and  passed  through  the  back  of  the  roof  of  his 
mouth. 

The  lion  then  sprang  up,  and,  facing  about,  dashed 
through  the  reeds  and  plungod  into  the  river,  across 
which  he  swam,  dyeing  the  waters  with  his  blood  ;  one 
black  dog,  named  "  Schwart,"  alone  pursued  him.  A 
huge  crocodile,  attracted  by  the  blood,  followed  in  their 
wake,  but  fortunately  did  not  take  my  dog,  which  I 
much  feared  he  would  do.  Present  fired  at  the  lion  as 
he  swam,  and  missed  him ;  both  my  barrels  were  empty. 
Before,  however,  the  lion  could  make  the  opposite  bank, 
I  had  one  loaded  without  patch,  and  just  as  his  feet 
gained  the  ground  I  made  a  fine  shot  at  his  neck,  and 
turned  him  over  dead  on  the  spot.  Present,  CaroUus, 
and  Adonis  then  swam  in  and  brought  him  through. 
We  landed  him  by  an  old  hippopotamus  foot-path,  and, 
the  day  being  damp  and  cold,  we  kindled  a  fire,  beside 
which,  we  skinned  him.  While  this  was  going  forward 
I  had  a  painful  duty  to  perform,  viz.,  to  load  one  bar- 
rel, and  blow  out  Rascality's  brains,  whom  the  lion  had 
utterly  disabled  in  his  after-quarters.  Thus  ended  this 
protracted  and  all  but  unsuccessful  hunt;  for  when  I 
at  length  managed  to  shoot  him,  the  dogs  were  quite 
tired  of  it,  and,  the  reeds  being  green,  I  could  not  have 
set  them  on  fire  to  force  him  out. 

The  lion  proved  to  be  a  first-rate  one;  he  was  in  the 
prime  of  life,  and  had  an  exquisitely  beautiful  coat  of 
hair.  His  mane  was  not  very  rank ;  his  awful  teeth 
were  quite  perfect,  a  thing  which  in  lions  of  his  age  is 
rather  unusual;  and  he  had  the  finest  tuft  of  hair  on 
the  end  of  his  tail  that  I  had  ever  seen  in  a  lion.  In 
the  chase  my  after-rider,  who  fortunately  did  not  carry 
n'  J  rifle,  got  a  tremendous  capsize  from  bad  riding,  a 
c  vnmon  occurrence  with  most  after-riders  who  have 


THE    MARIQUA.  271 

bCLti  employed  in  my  service.  The  afternoon  was 
spent  in  drying  the  wet  main  of  the  lion,  skinning  out 
the  feet,  and  preserving  the  skin  with  alum  and  arsen- 
ical soap. 

On  the  27th  we  reached  the  junction  of  the  Mariqua 
with  the  Limpopo,  when  we  once  more  bade  farewell  to 
the  latter,  and  held  up  the  northern  bank  of  the  Mari- 
qua. This  fine  little  river  averages  here  about  five  or 
six  yards  in  width,  and  meanders  along  in  a  very  ser- 
pentine course  through  a  very  broad  open  vley,  its 
banks  being  in  many  places  destitute  of  cover,  except- 
ing reeds,  and  in  others  is  densely  clad  with  groves  of 
thorn  and  willow  trees,  &c.  Here  I  found  reitbuck, 
which  do  not  frequent  the  Limpopo  in  those  parts  which 
I  have  visited.  The^country  looked  fresh  and  green,  and 
all  the  usual  varieties  of  game  were  abundant.  Ele- 
phants had  been  frequenting  the  district  some  months 
previously,  but  had  now  deserted  it.  Atout  fifty  miles 
to  the  south  and  east  a  very  bold  and  rocky  extensive 
blue  mountain  chain  towered  in  grand  relief  above  the 
intervening  level  forest.  The  length  of  this  mountain 
chain  seemed  to  be  about  a  hundred  miles,  its  course 
about  northeast,  and  it  gradually  became  loftier  and 
more  rugged  toward  the  northeastern  extremity.  I  be- 
heve  the  Limpopo  rises  somewhere  to  the  east  of  this 
chain,  and  I  felt  a  strong  desire  to  follow  it  to  its  source, 
but  under  existing  circumstances  this  measure  was  not 
advisable.  On  the  march  we  passed  a  small  village  of 
Bakalahari,  which  was  surrounded  with  heaps  of  bones 
and  skulls  of  game. 

Next  day  we  marched  about  eight  miles  up  the  river, 
Lnd  outspanned  in  a  wide  open  vley.  On  the  march  I 
shot  one  sassayby,  and  wounded  two  black  rhinoceroses. 
In  the  afternoon  I  rode  up  the  edge  of  the  river  with 


272  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

Ruyter  in  quest  of  reitbuck,  of  which  I  saw  several 
small  troops,  but  did  not  kill  any,  not  getting  a  chance 
of  the  old  bucks,  which  I  hunted  for  their  heads.  I, 
however,  shot  one  enormous  crocodile,  which  we  dis- 
covered fast  asleep  on  the  grassy  bank  of  the  river. 
He  got  two  balls,  one  in  the  brains  and  the  other  be- 
hind the  shoulder;  yet,  nevertheless,  in  the  struggles 
of  death  he  managed  to  roll  into  the  water  and  disap- 
peared. I  was  extremely  surprised  to  see  so  enormous 
a  crocodile  in  so  small  a  stream;  his  length  was  con- 
siderably greater  than  the  width  of  the  river  at  the  spot 
where  I  shot  him. 

Marched  again  at  sunrise,  and  I  and  Ruyter  rode 
ahead  to  seek  reitbuck.  I  detected  one  of  these  squat- 
ting beside  the  river  to  shun  observation,  and  shot  him 
dead  on  the  spot.  He  proved  to  be  an  old  buck ;  but 
both  of  his  horns  being  broken  in  fighting,  I  did  not 
keep  the  head.  A  little  after  this,  two  packs  of  wild 
dogs  kept  trotting  and  cantering  slowly  along  before  us, 
one  on  either  side  of  the  river ;  we  had  started  them 
from  two  pallahs,  which  they  had  caught  and  were  con- 
suming. More  reitbuck  were  seen,  and  presently  an 
old  buck,  carrying  unusually  fine  horns,  started  up  be- 
fore us  in  company  with  four  does.  By  taking  up  a 
position  in  a  hollow  in  the  vley,  and  sending  Ruyter  to 
drive  them  toward  me,  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  succeed 
in  bowling  over  this  fine  old  buck,  which  proved  to  be 
a  princely  specimen.  1  shot  him  running,  and  broke 
his  back. 

The  wagons  being  opposite  to  us,  we  crossed  the 
river,  and  deposited  the  head  on  my  cardell ;  and,  hav- 
ing  proceeded  a  short  distance  further  up,  we  discover- 
ed the  fresh  spoor  of  an  immense  herd  of  elephants,  con- 
sisting mostly  of  old  bulls.     I  drew  up  my  wagons  on 


A    HUGE    CROCODILE    SHOT.  273 

a  peninsular,  well-wooded  spot,  and  proceeded  to  take  up 
the  spoor.  These  elephants  had  at  first  fed  for  many- 
hours  among  thorns  in  the  vicinity  of  the  river,  and  then 
marched  in  a  long  string  right  away  out  of  the  coun- 
try. After  following  the  spoor  for  a  great  many  miles, 
P  became  annoyed  and  gave  it  up. 

On  the  31st,  as  I  was  riding  along  the  river's  bank, 
about  two  miles  below  the  spot  where  some  days  be- 
fore I  had  fired  at  a  large  crocodile,  I  came  upon  a 
similar  reptile  lying  asleep  on  the  opposite  side,  which 
I  shot  dead  on  the  spot,  putting  the  ball  through  the 
spine  close  into  the  back  of  the  head.  On  receiving  the 
ball,  he  only  made  a  slight  convulsive  movement,  and 
then  remained  still  and  motionless  as  if  still  asleep,  not 
having  in  the  slightest  degree  altered  his  position :  a 
copious  stream  of  blood  issued  from  the  wound,  and 
colored  the  shallow  water  in  which  he  lay.  Having 
crossed  the  river  at  a  drift  about  a  mile  below,  I  rodo 
up  to  inspect  this  hideous  monster  of  the  river,  which, 
to  my  surprise,  I  found  to  be  the  same  one  at  which j 
on  the  28th,  I  had  fired,  and,  as  I  supposed,  killed. 
He  bore  the  marks  of  both  my  bullets,  one  of  which  had 
fractured  a  part  of  his  skull.  The  crocodile  was  a  very 
old  fellow,  and  a  fine  specimen,  its  length  being  up- 
ward of  twelve  feet.  I  resolved,  therefore,  to  preserve 
the  skin,  and  with  this  intention,  in  the  forenoon,  march- 
ed down  six  men,  who  were  occupied  until  sundown  in 
the  novel  work  of  flaying  the  crocodile.  When,  how- 
ever, they  had  accomplished  their  undertaking,  I  made 
up  my  mind  that  we  should  not  be  able  to  preserve 
the  entire  skin,  and  determined  only  to  keep  the  head, 
which  we  brought  to  camp.  The  night  set  in  with  a 
heavy  storm  of  wind,  accompanied  with  rain.  Return- 
ing from  skinning  the  crocodile  to  camp,  I  found  the 

AT  2 


274  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

vley  before  me  black  with  an  immense  herd  of  buffa- 
loes, two  of  which  I  wounded,  but  did  not  follow. 

A  few  days  after  this,  just  as  Swint  had  milked  the 
cows,  and  was  driving  them  from  the  wooded  peninsula 
in  which  we  lay,  athwart  the  open  ground,  to  graze 
with  my  other  cattle  in  the  forest  beyond,  he  beheld 
four  majestic  lions  walk  slowly  across  the  vley,  a  few 
hundred  yards  below  my  camp,  and  disappear  over  the 
river's  bank  at  a  favorite  drinking-place.  These  mighty 
monarchs  of  the  waste  had  been  holding  a  prolonged 
repast  over  the  carcasses  of  some  zebras  killed  by  Pres- 
ent, and  had  now  come  down  to  the  river  to  slake  their 
thirst.  This  being  reported,  I  instantly  saddled  up  two 
horses,  and,  directing  my  boys  to  lead  after  me  as  quick- 
ly as  possible  my  small  remaining  pack  of  sore-footed 
dogs,  I  rode  forth,  accompanied  by  Carey  carrying  a 
spare  gun,  to  give  battle  to  the  four  grim  lions.  As  I 
rode  out  of  the  peninsula,  they  showed  themselves  on 
the  bank  of  the  river,  and,  guessing  that  their  first 
move  would  be  a  disgraceful  retreat,  I  determined  to 
ride  so  as  to  make  them  think  that  I  had  not  observed 
them,  until  I  should  be  able  to  cut  off  their  retreat  from 
the  river,  across  the  open  vley,  to  the  endless  forest  be- 
yond. That  point  being  gained,  I  knew  that  they,  still 
doubtful  of  my  having  observed  them,  would  hold  their 
ground  on  ihe  river's  bank  until  my  dogs  came  up, 
when  I  could  more  advantageously  make  the  attack. 

I  cantered  along,  holding  as  if  I  meant  to  pass  the 
lions  at  a  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  until  I  was 
opposite  to  them,  when  I  altered  my  course,  and  inclin- 
ed a  little  nearer.  The  lions  then  showed  symptoms 
of  uneasiness  :  they  rose  to  their  feet,  and,  overhauling 
us  for  half  a  minute,  disappeared  over  the  bank.  They 
reappeared,  however,  directly,  a  little  further  down ; 


A    DRILL,IANT    LION    HUNT.  275 

and,  finding  that  their  present  position  was  bare,  they 
walked  majestically  along  the  top  of  the  bank  to  a 
spot  a  few  hundred  yards  lower,  where  the  bank  was 
well  wooded.  Here  they  seemed  half  inclined  to  await 
my  attack  ;  two  stretched  out  their  massive  arms,  and 
lay  down  in  the  grass,  and  the  other  two  sat  up  like 
dogs  upon  their  haunche^s.  Deeming  it  probable  that 
when  my  dogs  came  up  and  I  approached  they  would 
still  retreat  and  make  a  bolt  across  the  open  vley,  I  di- 
rected Carey  to  canter  forward  and  take  up  the  ground 
in  the  center  of  the  vley  about  four  hundred  yards  in 
advance,  whereby  the  lions  would  be  compelled  either 
to  give  us  battle  or  swim  the  river,  which,  although 
narrow,  I  knew  they  would  be  very  reluctant  to  do. 

I  now  sat  in  my  saddle,  anxiously  awaiting  the  ar- 
rival of  the  dogs,  and,  while  thus  momentarily  disen- 
gaged, was  much  struck  with  the  majestic  and  truly 
appalling  appearance  which  these  four  lions  exhibited 
They  were  all  full-grown,  immense  males;  and  I  felt, 
I  must  confess,  a  little  nervous,  and  very  uncertain  as 
to  what  might  be  the  issue  of  the  attack.  When  the 
dogs  came  up  I  rode  right  in  toward  the  lions.  They 
sprang  to  their  feet  and  trotted  slowly  down  along  the 
bank  of  the  river,  once  or  twice  halting  and  facing 
about  for  half  a  minute.  Immediately  below  them 
there  was  a  small  determined  bend  in  the  stream,  form- 
ing a  sort  of  peninsula.  Into  this  bend  they  disappear- 
ed, and  next  moment  I  was  upon  them  with  my  dogs. 
They  had  taken  shelter  in  a  dense  angle  of  the  penin- 
sula, well  sheltered  by  high  trees  and  reeds.  Into  this 
retreat  the  dogs  at  once  boldly  followed  them,  making 
a  .'oud  barking,  which  was  instantly  followed  by  the 
terrible  voices  of  the  lions,  which  turned  about  and 
charged  to  the  edge  of  the  cover.     Next  moment,  how- 


276  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

ever,  I  heard  them  plunge  into  the  river,  when  I  sprang 
from  my  horse,  and,  running  to  the  top  of  the  bank, 
saw  three  of  them  ascending  the  opposite  bank,  the 
dogs  following.  One  of  them  bounded  away  across  the 
open  plain  at  top  speed ;  but  the  other  two,  finding 
themselves  followed  by  the  dogs,  immediately  turned 
to  bay.  It  was  now  my  turn.;  so,  taking  them  coolly 
right  and  left  with  my  little  rifle,  I  made  the  most  glo- 
rious double  shot  that  a  sportsman's  heart  could  desire, 
disabling  them  both  in  the  shoukler  before  they  were 
even  aware  of  my  position.  Then  snatching  my  other 
gun  from  Carey,  who  that  moment  had  ridden  up  to 
my  assistance,  I  finished  the  first  lion  with  a  shot  about 
the  heart,  and  brought  the  second  to  a  standstill  by  dis- 
abling him  in  his  hind  quarters.  He  quickly  crept  into 
a  dense,  wide,  dark  green  bush,  in  which  for  a  long 
time  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  a  glimpse  of  him.  At 
length  a  clod  of  earth  falling  near  his  hiding-place,  he 
made  a  move  which  disclosed  to  me  his  position,  when 
I  finished  him  with  three  more  shots,  all  along  the  mid- 
dle of  his  back.  Carey  swam  across  the  river  to  flog 
off  the  dogs  ;  and  when  these  came  through  to  me,  I 
beat  up  the  peninsula  in  quest  of  the  fourth  lion,  which 
had,  however,  made  off.  We  then  crossed  the  river  a 
little  higher  up,  and  proceeded  to  inspect  the  noble  prizes 
I  had  won.  Both  lions  were  well  up  in  their  years  ; 
I  kept  the  skin  and  skull  of  the  finest  specimen,  and 
only  the  nails  and  tail  of  the  other,  one  of  whose  canine 
teeth  was  worn  down  to  the  socket  with  caries,  which 
seemed  very  much  to  have  affected  his  general  condi- 
tion. 

On  the  9th  it  rained  unceasingly  throughout  the  day, 
converting  the  rich  soil  on  which  we  were  encamped 
into  one  mass  of  soft,  sticky  clay.     In  the  forenoon, 


RHINOCEROS    HUMTING.  277 

fearing  the  rain  would  continue  so  as  to  render  the  vley 
(through  which  we  must  pass  to  gain  the  firmer  ground) 
impassable,  I  ordered  my  men  to  prepare  to  mai'ch,  and 
leave  the  tent  with  its  contents  standing,  the  point 
which  I  wished  to  gain  being  distant  only  about  five 
hundred  yards.  When  the  oxen  were  inspanned,  how- 
ever, and  we  attempted  to  move,  we  found  my  tackle, 
which  was  old,  so  rotten  from  the  effects  of  the  rain, 
that  something  gave  way  at  every  strain.  Owing  to 
this  and  to  the  softness  of  the  vley,  we  labored  on  till 
sundown,  and  only  succeeded  in  bringing  one  wagon 
to  its  destination,  the  other  two  remaining  fast  in  the 
mud  in  the  middle  of  the  vley.  Next  morning,  luckily, 
the  weather  cleared  up,  when  my  men  brought  over  the 
tent,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  other  two  wagons. 

We  followed  up  the  banks  of  the  river  for  several 
days  with  the  usual  allowance  of  sport.  On  the  16th 
we  came  suddenly  upon  an  immense  old  bull  mucho- 
cho  roiling  in  mud.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  immediately 
he  saw  me,  and,  charging  up  the  bank,  so  frightened 
our  horses,  that  before  I  could  get  my  rifle  from  my 
after-rider  he  was  past  us.  I  then  gave  him  chase, 
and,  after  a  hard  gallop  of  about  a  mile,  sprang  from 
my  horse  and  gave  him  a  good  shot  behind  the  shoul- 
der. At  this  moment  a  cow  rhinoceros  of  the  same 
species,  with  her  calf,  charged  out  of  some  wait-a-bit 
thorn  cover,  and  stood  right  in  my  path.  Observing 
that  she  carried  an  unusually  long  horn,  I  turned  my 
attention  from  the  bull  to  her,  and,  after  a  very  long 
and  severe  chase,  dropped  her  at  the  sixth  shot.  I  car- 
ried one  of  my  rifles,  which  gave  me  much  trouble, 
that  not  being  the  tool  required  for  this  sort  of  work, 
where  quick  loading  is  Indispensable. 

After  breakfast  I  sent  men  to  cut  off  the  iiead  of  thia 


278  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

rhinoceros,  and  proceeded  with  Ruyter  to  take  up  the 
spoor  of  the  bull  wounded  in  the  morning.  We  found 
that  he  was  very  severely  hit,  and,  having  followed  the 
spoor  for  about  a  mile  through  very  dense  thorn  cover, 
he  suddenly  rustled  out  of  the  bushes  close  ahead  of  us, 
accompanied  by  a  whole  host  of  rhinoceros  birds.  I 
mounted  my  horse  and  gave  him  chase,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  he  had  received  four  severe  shots.  I  managed 
to  turn  his  course  toward  camp,  when  I  ceased  firing, 
as  he  seemed  to  be  nearly  done  up,  and  Ruyter  and  I 
rode  slowly  behind  him,  occasionally  shouting  to  guide 
his  course.  Presently,  however,  Chukuroo  ceased  tak- 
ing any  notice  of  us,  and  held  leisurely  on  for  the  river, 
into  a  shallow  part  of  which  he  walked,  and  after  pant- 
ing there  and  turning  about  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
he  fell  over  and  expired.  This  was  a  remarkably  fine 
old  bull,  and  from  his  dentition  it  was  not  improbable 
that  a  hundred  summers  had  seen  him  roaming  a  peace- 
ful denizen  of  the  forests  and  open  glades  along  the  fair 
banks  of  the  secluded  Mariqua. 

During  our  march  on  the  19th  we  had  to  cross  a 
range  of  very  rocky  hills,  covered  with  large  loose 
stones,  and  all  hands  were  required  to  be  actively  cm- 
ployed  for  about  an  hour  in  clearing  them  out  of  the 
way  to  permit  the  wagons  to  pass.  The  work  went  on 
fast  and  furious,  and  the  quantity  of  stones  cleared  was 
immense.  At  length  we  reached  the  spot  where  we 
were  obliged  to  bid  adieu  to  the  Mariqua,  and  hold  a 
westerly  course  across  the  country  for  Sichely.  At 
sundown  we  halted  under  a  lofty  mountain,  the  high- 
est in  the  district,  called  "  Lynche  a  Cheny,"  or  the 
Monkey's  Mountain. 

I>|p.xt  day,  at  an  early  hour,  I  rode  out  with  RuytcT 
to  hunt,  my  camp  being  entirely  without  flesh,  and  we 


SUBLIME    SCENERY.  279 

having  been  rationed  upon  very  tough  old  rliinoceros  for 
several  days  past.  It  was  a  cloudy  morning,  and  soon 
after  starting  it  came  on  to  rain  heavily.  I,  however, 
held  on,  skirting  a  fine,  well- wooded  range  of  mount- 
ains, and  after  riding  several  miles  I  shot  a  zebra. 
Having  covered  the  carcass  well  over  with  branches  to 
protect  it  from  the  vultures,  I  returned  to  camp,  and, 
inspanning  ray  wagons,  took  it  up  on  the  march.  "We 
continued  trekking  on  until  sundown,  when  we  started 
an  immense  herd  of  buffaloes,  into  which  I  stalked  and 
shot  a  huge  old  bull. 

Our  march  this  evening  was  through  the  most  beau- 
tiful country  I  had  ever  seen  in  Africa.  We  skirted 
along  an  endless  range  of  well- wooded  stony  mountains 
lying  on  our  left,  while  to  our  right  the  country  at  first 
sloped  gently  off,  and  then  stretched  away  into  a  level 
green  forest  (occasionally  interspersed  with  open  glades), 
boundless  as  the  ocean.  This  green  forest  was,  how- 
ever, relieved  in  one  direction  by  a  chain  of  excessively 
bold,  detached,  well-wooded,  rocky,  pyramidal  mount- 
ains, which  stood  forth  in  grand  relief.  In  advance  the 
picture  was  bounded  by  forest  and  mountain  ;  one  bold 
acclivity,  in  shape  of  a  dome,  standing  prominent  among 
its  fellows.  It  was  a  lovely  evening :  the  sky,  over- 
cast and  gloomy,  threw  an  interesting,  wild,  mysterious 
coloring  over  the  landscape.  I  gazed  forth  upon  the 
romantic  scene  before  me  with  intense  delight,  and 
felt  melancholy  and  sorrowful  at  passing  so  fleetingly 
through  it,  and  could  not  help  shouting  out  as  I 
marched  along,  "  Where  is  the  coward  who  would  not 
dare  to  die  for  such  a  land  ?" 

In  the  morning  we  held  for  a  fountain  some  miles 
ahead  in  a  gorge  in  the  mountains.  As  we  approached 
the  fountain,  and  were  passing  close  in  under  a  steep 


280  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

rocky  hill  side,  well  wooded  to  its  summit,  I  unexpect- 
edly beheld  a  lion  stealing  up  the  rocky  face,  and,  halt- 
ing behind  a  tree,  he  stood  overhauling  us  for  some 
minutes.  T  resolved  to  give  him  battle,  and,  seizing 
my  rifle,  marched  against  him,  followed  by  Carey  car- 
rying a  spare  gun,  and  by  three  men  leading  my  dogs, 
now  reduced  to  eight.  When  we  got  close  in  to  the 
base  of  the  mountain,  we  found  ourselves  enveloped  in 
dense  jungle,  which  extended  half  way  to  its  summit, 
and  entirely  obscured  from  our  eyes  objects  which  were 
quite  apparent  from  the  wagons.  I  slipped  my  dogs, 
however,  which,  after  snuffing  about,  took  right  up  the 
steep  face  on  the  spoor  of  the  lions,  for  there  was  a 
troop  of  them — a  lion  and  three  lionesses. 

The  people  at  the  wagons  saw  the  chase  in  perfec- 
tion. When  the  lions  observed  the  dogs  coming  on, 
they  took  right  up,  and  three  of  them  crossed  over  the 
sky  ridge.  The  dogs,  however,  turned  one  rattling  old 
lioness,  which  came  rumbling  down  through  the  cover, 
close  past  me.  I  ran  to  meet  her,  and  she  came  to  bay 
in  an  open  spot  near  the  base  of  the  mountain,  whither 
I  quickly  followed,  and,  coming  up  within  thirty  yards, 
bowled  her  over  with  my  first  shot,  which  broke  her 
back.  My  second  entered  her  shoulder;  and  fearing 
that  she  might  hurt  any  of  the  dogs,  as  she  still  evinced 
signs  of  life,  I  finished  her  with  a  third  in  the  breast. 
The  bellies  of  all  the  four  lions  were  much  distended 
by  some  game  they  had  been  gorging,  no  doubt  a  buf- 
falo, as  a  large  herd  started  out  of  the  jungle  immedi- 
ately under  the  spot  where  the  noble  beasts  were  first 
disturbed. 

Showers  of  rain  fell  every  hour  throughout  the  24th, 
so  I  employed  my  men  in  making  feldt-.>5choens,  or,  in 
other  words,  African  brogues  for  me.     These    ?>o«» 


SASSAYBIES    AND    BUFFALOES.  281 

were  worthy  of  a  sportsman,  being  light,  yet  strong, 
and  were  entirely  composed  of  the  skins  of  game  of  my 
shooting.  The  soles  were  made  of  either  buffalo  or 
camelopard  ;  the  front  part  perhaps  of  koodoo,  or  harte- 
beest,  or  bushbuck,  and  the  back  of  the  shoe  of  lion,  or 
hysena,  or  sable  antelope,  while  the  rheimpy  or  thread 
with  which  the  whole  was  sewed  consisted  of  a  thin 
strip  of  the  skin  of  a  steinbok. 

On  the  forenoon  of  the  26th  I  rode  forth  to  hunt,  ac- 
companied by  Ruyter  ;  we  held  west,  skirting  the 
wooded  stony  mountains.  The  natives  had  here  many 
years  before  waged  successful  war  with  elephants,  four 
of  whose  skulls  I  found.  Presently  I  came  across  two 
sassaybies,  one  of  which  I  knocked  over ;  but  while  1 
was  loading  he  regained  his  legs  and  made  off.  We 
crossed  a  level  stretch  of  forest,  holding  a  northerly 
course  for  an  opposite  range  of  green,  well- wooded  hills 
and  valleys.  Here  I  came  upon  a  troop  of  six  fine  old 
bull  buffaloes,  into  which  I  stalked,  and  wounded  one 
princely  fellow  very  severely  behind  the  shoulder,  bring- 
ing blood  from  his  mouth ;  he,  however,  made  off  with 
his  comrades,  and,  the  ground  being  very  rough,  we 
failed  to  overtake  him.  They  held  for  the  Ngotwani. 
After  following  the  spoor  for  a  couple  of  miles,  we 
dropped  it,  as  it  led  right  away  from  camp. 

Returning  from  this  chase,  we  had  an  adventure 
with  another  old  bull  buffalo,  which  shows  the  extreme 
danger  of  hunting  buffaloes  without  dogs.  We  started 
him  in  a  green  hollow  among  the  hills,  and,  his  course 
inclining  for  camp,  I  gave  him  chase.  He  crossed  the 
level  broad  strath  and  made  for  the  opposite  densely- 
wooded  range  of  mountains.  Along  the  base  of  these 
we  followed  him,  sometimes  in  view,  sometimes  on  tho 
epoor,  keeping  the  old  fellow  at  a  pace  which  made  him 


282  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA 

pant.  At  length,  finding  himself  much  distressed,  \ip> 
had  recourse  to  a  singular  stratagem.  Doubling  round 
some  thick  bushes  which  obscured  him  from  our  view, 
he  found  himself  beside  a  small  pool  of  rain  water,  just 
deep  enough  to  cover  his  body ;  into  this  he  walked, 
and,  facing  about,  lay  gently  down  and  awaited  our  on- 
coming, with  nothing  but  his  old  gray  face  and  massive 
horns  above  the  water,  and  these  concealed  from  view 
by  rank  overhanging  herbage. 

Our  attention  was  entirely  engrossed  with  the  spoor, 
and  thus  we  rode  boldly  on  until  within  a  few  feet  of 
him,  when,  springing  to  his  feet,  he  made  a  desperate 
charge  after  Ruyter,  uttering  a  low,  stifled  roar  pecul- 
iar to  buffaloes  (somewhat  similar  to  the  growl  of  a 
lion),  and  hurled  horse  and  rider  to  the  earth  with  fear- 
ful violence.  His  horn  laid  the  poor  horse's  haunch 
open  to  the  bone,  making  the  most  fearful  rugged 
wound.  In  an  instant  Ruyter  regained  his  feet  and 
ran  for  his  life,  which  the  buffalo  observing,  gave  chase, 
but  most  fortunately  came  down  with  a  tremendous 
somersault  in  the  mud,  his  feet  slipping  from  under 
him  :  thus  the  Bushman  escaped  certain  destruction. 
The  buffalo  rose  much  discomfited,  and,  the  wounded 
horse  first  catching  his  eye,  he  went  a  second  time  after 
him,  but  he  got  out  of  the  way.  At  this  moment  I 
managed  to  send  one  of  my  patent  pacificating  pills 
into  his  shoulder,  when  he  instantly  quitted  the  field  of 
action,  and  sought  shelter  in  the  dense  cover  on  the 
mountain  side,  whither  I  deemed  it  imprudent  to  fol- 
low him. 

On  the  28th  we  marched  at  sunrise,  when  one  of  my 
wagon-drivers  chose  to  turn  his  wagon  too  short,  in  op- 
position to  my  orders,  whereby  it  was  very  nearly  up- 
set, for  which  I  flogged  him  with  a  jambok,  and  then 


CAMELOPARD    CHASE.  283 

knocked  him  down.  This  man's  name  was  Adonis : 
he  was  a  determined  old  sinner,  on  whom  words  had 
no  effect.  Our  course  lay  through  a  wide,  well-wooded 
strath,  beautifully  varied  with  open  glades.  As  we 
proceeded,  fresh  spoor  of  buffalo  and  caraelopard  be- 
came abundant,  and  about  breakfast-time,  as  we  were 
crossing  an  elevated  slope  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Ngot- 
wani,  I  had  the  felicity  to  detect  a  magnificent  herd  of 
the  latter  browsing  in  the  middle  of  the  strath  about 
half  a  mile  to  our  left. 

As  I  had  enjoyed  very  little  sport  with  camelopard 
either  in  this  or  the  last  expedition,  my  time  and  at- 
tention having  always  been  engrossed  with  elephants, 
I  resolved  to  avail  myself  of  this  opportunity,  and  ac- 
cordingly, having  caught  a  couple  of  my  mares,  I  rode 
for  them,  accompanied  by  Booi  as  after-rider.  I  had 
directed  my  men  to  outspan,  and  my  intention  was,  if 
possible,  to  hunt  one  of  the  camelopards  to  my  camp ; 
but  in  this  I  failed.  On  disturbing  the  herd  they  sep- 
arated into  two  divisions,  one  of  which  took  right  away 
down  the  wind,  being  a  tail-on-end  chase  from  my  camp ; 
the  finest  bull  went  with  this  division,  and  him  I  fol- 
lowed. After  a  sharp  burst  of  about  a  mile,  I  headed 
and  laid  him  low  with  two  shots  behind  the  shoulder. 
Having  cut  otT  his  tail,  we  were  returning  to  camp,  and 
had  proceeded  about  halfway,  when  we  came  upon  the 
other  division  of  the  herd.  They  were  browsing  quietly 
in  company  with  a  large  herd  of  zebras  ;  and  observ- 
ing among  them  another  princely  old  bull,  nothing  short 
of  the  one  I  had  already  icilled,  I  was  tempted  once  more 
to  give  chase,  and,  directing  Booi  to  go  home  with  the 
tail.  I  spurred  my  little  mare,  and  dashed  after  the 
jdfiy  giraffe.  In  vain  he  sought  the  thickest  depths  of 
cover  which  the  strath  afforded,  and  put  out  the  very 


284  ADVENTURES    IN     SOUTH    AFRICA. 

utmost  speed  which  he  could  muster.  I  followed  c'.bse 
in  his  wake,  and,  after  a  hard  chase  of  about  a  mile 
over  very  rough  ground,  we  gained  a  piece  of  hard  lev- 
el. Here  I  pressed  my  mare,  and,  getting  close  in  un- 
der his  stern,  fired  at  the  gallop,  and  sent  a  bullet  into 
him,  and  then  passed ;  in  doing  which  I  tried  to  fire  a 
second  shot,  but  my  gun  snapped.  I  had  now  headed 
the  camelopard,  so  he  altered  his  course  and  held  away 
at  a  right  angle  across  the  level  strath.  A  fresh  cap 
was  soon  placed  upon  the  nipple,  when,  pressing  nry 
mare,  I  once  more  rode  past  him.  In  passing,  I  held 
my  stock  in  my  waist  and  fired  :  the  ball  entered  be- 
hind the  shoulder,  and  ended  the  career  of  this  gigantic 
and  exquisitely  beautiful  habitant  of  the  forest.  Hav- 
ing run  a  few  yards  further,  his  lofty  frame  tottered  for 
a  moment,  when  he  came  down  with  a  crash  which 
made  the  earth  tremble. 

On  the  4th  of  December  we  inspanned  at  sunrise  and 
marched  to  the  Ngotwani,  which  we  crossed  after  an 
hour  of  hard  work  in  making  a  road,  having  to  remove 
some  immense  masses  of  rock,  to  cut  down  the  banks 
with  spades,  and  to  throw  some  thorn-trees.  In  the 
afternoon  I  again  marched,  and  halted  at  sundown  with- 
in a  few  miles  of  my  old  spoor  near  the  Poort  or  Pass 
of  God.  As  the  wagons  were  drawing  up  for  the  night 
a  borele  was  detected,  which  Present  and  Carey  stalk- 
ed, and  got  within  thirty  yards,  and  then  both  fired  and 
returned,  stating  that  they  had  broken  his  shoulder. 

Accordingly,  on  the  following  morning,  I  proceeded 
to  take  up  the  spoor  of  the  wounded  borele  of  the  pre- 
ceding evening,  accompanied  by  Ruyter,  and  very  soon 
found  that  he  was  very  little  the  worse  for  his  wound. 
The  spoor  led  me  for  several  miles  close  along  under 
the  mountain  range  to  my  right,  and  at  length  up  into 


LION    HUNTING.  285 

a  long,  well-wooded  basin  in  the  mountains.  I  observed 
that  two  lions,  having  detected  the  blood,  were  spoor- 
ing up  the  borele  ;  they  had  followed  him  up  and  driv- 
en him  away  from  his  lair,  and  had  then  lain  down  for 
the  day. 

When  1  came  up  I  was  within  twenty  yards  of  the 
lions  before  I  was  aware  of  their  proximity.  Observ- 
ing me,  they  sprang  to  their  feet,  and,  growling  sulk- 
ily, trotted  up  the  mountain  side.  I  only  saw  one  of 
them  at  first,  and  ran  forward  for  a  shot.  Having  as- 
cended the  steep  a  short  distance,  the  lion  halted  to  have 
a  look,  giving  me  a  fine  broadside,  when  I  shot  him 
through  the  heart.  On  receiving  the  ball  he  bounded 
forward,  and  was  instantly  obscured  by  the  trees.  I 
advanced  cautiously,  and  next  moment  the  other  lion 
sprang  up  with  a  growl,  and  marched  with  an  air  of 
most  consummate  independence  up  the  mountain  side. 
I  imagined  that  this  lion  was  the  one  I  had  fired  at, 
and  sent  two  more  shots  at  him,  both  of  which  were 
too  high  ;  after  which  he  disappeared  over  a  ridge  im- 
mediately above.  On  proceeding  to  inspect  the  spot 
where  the  lion  had  been  lying,  I  found  that  there  were 
two  beds,  consequently  that  there  must  have  been  two 
lions,  and  I  conjectured  that  I  had  killed  one  of  them. 
In  case,  however,  he  should  be  only  wounded,  I  deemed 
it  prudent  to  ride  down  to  the  wagons,  which  were  then 
passing  below  me,  to  obtain  some  dogs  to  pioneer.  Hav- 
ing procured  these,  I  and  Ruyter  returned  to  the  spot, 
and  found  the  lion  lying  dead  on  the  mountain  side. 
We  proceeded  to  skin  him,  and  returned  to  the  wag- 
ons with  the  spoils.  The  other  decamped ;  the  dogs 
could  not  find  him.  Both  of  ihese  were  first-rate  old 
lions,  but  the  one  that  escaped  was  the  larger  of  the 
two.     In  the  afternoon  I  rode  on  to  Sichelv';^  kraal  on 


286  ADVENTURES    IN     SOUTH    AFRICA. 

the  Kouloubeng,  having  directed  my  men  to  follow  with 
the  wagons. 

On  arriving  at  the  station,  I  found  that  Mr.  Living- 
stone had  left  that  morning  to  visit  a  tribe  to  the  east 
uf  the  Limpopo.  I  waited  upon  Mrs.  Livingstone, 
who  regaled  with  me  with  tea  and  bread  and  butter, 
and  gave  me  all  the  news.  I  remained  a  week  in  the 
station,  and  on  the  12th  I  inspanned.  At  sundown  we 
halted  near  the  Pass  of  God,  intending  to  hunt  sable 
antelope,  having  seen  a  small  troop  of  them  in  the 
month  of  May  on  a  steep  mountain  side,  beneath  which 
T  formed  my  camp. 


CHAPTER  XXXm. 

The  Pass  of  God — Hunt  Sable  and  Roan  Antelope — Sesetabie — My 
Cattle-losses  in  five  Expeditious — My  Cattle  desperate  for  want  of 
Water — Trading  with  Mahura — Inspauning  young  Oxen — We  cross 
the  Vaal  River — The  Country  densely  covered  with  Game — An  Os- 
trich's Nest — Bloem  Vonteyn — Multitudes  of  Antelope  Skeletons 
cover  the  Plains — The  Great  Orange  River — We  are  detained  by  the 
Flood — Twenty-three  Men  drowned  in  attempting  to  cross — We  have 
to  take  the  Wagons  to  Pieces — Determine  to  revisit  Old  England 
and  transport  my  Collection  of  Trophies  thither. 

Next  morning  I  rode  through  the  Pass  of  God  and 
held  west,  accompanied  by  two  after-riders.  I  rode  to 
within  a  couple  of  miles  of  the  Kouloubeng,  and  return. 
ed  close  in  under  the  mountain  chain  to  the  south  of  the 
pass.  I  went  forth  on  foot,  accompanied  by  Ruyter, 
and  ascended  the  mountain  immediately  above  my 
camp  to  seek  for  sable  antelope.  I  had  the  satisfac- 
tion to  discover  the  spoor  of  three  bucks  on  a  piece  of 
rocky  table-ground  on  the  highest  summit  of  the  range, 


A    SPLENDID    SABLE    ANTELOPE    SHOT.  287 

and  soon  after  I  started  a  princely  old  buck  from  his 
lair.  He  was  lying  in  long  grass  in  a  sandy  spot  be- 
hind a  bush,  within  eishty  yards  of  me.  Startinij  from 
his  mountain  bed,  this  gem  of  beauty  rattled  up  a  rocky 
slope  beside  which  he  had  been  lying,  and,  halting  for 
a  moment,  looked  back  to  see  what  had  disturbed  him, 
when  I  sent  a  bullet  through  his  ribs,  and,  as  ho  dis- 
appeared over  the  ridge,  lodged  another  in  his  vitals. 
Having  loaded,  I  followed  on  the  spoor,  and  soon  ob- 
served him  within  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  of  me, 
standing  in  a  green  hollow  far  below,  whisking  his  tail, 
and  evidently  severely  wounded.  A  strong  breeze  which 
was  then  blowing  was  against  me,  as  it  shook  a  young 
tree  of  which  I  wished  to  avail  myself  for  a  rest.  I 
nevertheless  managed  to  make  a  fine  shot,  and  sent  a 
bullet  through  the  center  of  his  shoulder,  bringing  him 
down  on  his  face,  and  laming  him.  The  potaquaine 
disappeared  down  the  wooded  mountain  side  over  a 
rocky  ridge,  but  no  rude  fears  agitated  my  breast ;  I 
had  lamed  him,  and  that  was  enough:  if  stalking  should 
fail,  there  were  dogs  at  my  wagons  that  could  very  soon 
bring  him  to  bay.  I  did  not,  however,  wish  to  be  put 
to  the  trouble  of  sending  for  the  dogs,  and  continued  to 
follow  on  his  spoor  with  extreme  caution.  He  had  only 
gone  a  short  distance  down  the  hill  when  I  found  him 
without  his  seeing  me,  and,  after  a  successful  stalk,  I 
finished  him  with  three  more  shots,  two  of  which  were 
in  his  stern.  This  was  a  most  splendid  specimen  of 
this  very  rare  and  most  lovely  antelope ;  his  horns  were 
enormous,  very  long,  rough,  and  perfect.  Having  cut 
off  the  head  for  stuffing,  and  gralloched  him,  we  cov.- 
cred  him  with  many  green  boughs  and  returned  to  camp, 
whence  I  dispatcluid  a  party  for  the  venison  and  tha 
Bkm,  which  I  preserved. 


288  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

On  the  15th  I  was  occupied  during  the  morning  in 
stuffing  the  head  of  the  sable  antelope,  after  which  1 
rode  forth  with  two  after-riders,  and,  holding  a  north- 
erly course,  skirted  the  range  of  hills  beneath  which  we 
were  encamped.  I  soon  reached  a  gorge  in  the  hills, 
through  which  I  rode,  and  at  its  upper  extremity  dis- 
covered springs  of  water  forming  a  little  stream.  In  a 
basin  in  the  hill  side  opposite  this  little  stream  I  ob- 
served a  rattling  old  buck  roan  antelope  or  bastard 
gemsbok  standing  under  the  shade  of  some  young  trees, 
the  sun  being  extremely  powerful.  I  first  endeavored 
to  stalk  in  upon  him,  but,  finding  that  the  ground  would 
not  admit  of  that,  I  laid  a  plot  for  him.  Guessing  from 
the  lay  of  the  land  what  course  he  was  most  likely  to 
take,  I  instructed  Ruyter  to  give  me  about  twenty 
minutes  to  steal  forward,  and  then  to  endeavor  to  move 
him  toward  me.  Before,  however,  I  could  gain  the  point 
I  wished,  an  eddy  in  the  breeze  apprised  the  roan  an- 
telope of  my  proximity,  when  he  instantly  started  to 
pass  a  shoulder  of  the  mountain  opposite  which  I  al- 
ready was.  As  I  was  screened  by  some  thorn-trees, 
I  made  a  run  to  save  the  day.  When  the  buck  halted, 
I  likewise  halted;  and  when  he  ran,  I  also  ran ;  thus, 
when  he  halted  the  second  time,  and  looked  down  to 
see  what  had  disturbed  him,  I  had  got  within  two  hund- 
red yards,  and  was  standing  in  position,  with  my  rifle 
steady  on  a  branch  of  a  thorn-tree.  Giving  it  six  inch- 
es of  elevation,  I  fired,  and  the  bullet  caught  him  in 
the  center  of  the  hollow  behind  the  shoulder,  and  rest- 
ed in  the  hide  on  his  opposite  side.  Arching  his  back 
and  bounding  high,  the  rock-loving  old  roan  antelope 
started  forward,  and  was  instantly  concealed  from  my 
view  by  an  abrupt  rocky  ridge.  Having  loaded,  I  in- 
spected the   spoor.      Large  blotches  of  his  life-blood 


ROAN  ANTELOPE  AND  OTHER  GAME.       289 

stained'the  rocks,  and,  on,  clearing  the  ridge  over  which 
he  had  disappeared,  I  had  the  pleasure  1o  find  "Quala- 
la"  stretched  to  rise  no  more.  This  antelope  carried 
the  finest  head  I  had  ever  seen  ;  the  horns  were  very 
long,  fair  set,  immensely  stout,  and  rough.  I  cut  off 
the  head  for  stuffing,  and  rode  back  to  camp,  where  I 
found  a  trader  named  Jolly,  with  his  wagon,  who  wished 
to  travel  along  with  me  to  the  colony,  being  in  fear  of 
the  rebel  Boers. 

Having  heard  from  Mr.  Livingstone  that  sable  ante- 
lopes frequented  the  rocky  mountains  about  the  sources 
of  the  Kouloubeng,  I  resolved  to  march  thither.  Early 
on  the  18th  we  inspanned,  and  in  about  four  hours  en- 
camped on  the  Kouloubeng,  at  a  spot  where,  three  years 
before,  Mr.  Livingstone  had  made  a  garden  to  cultivate 
wheat,  which  having  sown,  he  left  to  the  birds,  having 
aever  returned  to  see  how  it  had  thriven. 

In  the  morning  I  rode  forth  with  the  Bushman,  and, 
holding  a  southwesterly  course,  examined  the  mountain 
ranges  and  several  fine  straths  in  that  direction.  At 
length  I  started  a  small  troop  of  zebras,  and  soon  after 
T  observed  a  fine  old  buck  roan  antelope,  which  got  my 
wind.  Returning  from  following  this  buck,  I  shot  a 
steinbok ;  this  shot  at  the  steinbok  started  a  troop  of 
seven  or  eight  old  bull  buffaloes,  which  Ruyter  had 
found,  from  the  summit  of  a  rocky  hillock.  I  followed, 
when  the  invariable  rhinoceros  birds  started  them,  and 
I  galloped  on  in  their  wake. 

Presently  they  halted  to  look  behind  them,  and  I  at 
the  same  instant  sprang  from  my  mare  and  lay  down 
in  the  grass.  My  mare  commenced  eating  the  grass 
and  whisking  her  tail,  which  the  buffaloes  observing, 
and  fancying  that  she  was  some  species  of  game,  made 
op  their  minds  that  it  was  all  right,  and,  coming  for- 
Vol.    II— N 


290  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA, 

ward  a  few  steps,  toolc  up  a  position  under  a  wide  shady 
tree,  not  evincing  any  further  signs  *of  fear.  Thus  I 
was  enabled  to  take  my  time  and  select  the  finest  head 
in  the  troop.  After  about  twenty  minutes  spent  in 
studying  the  set  of  the  heads.  I  shot  one  princely  old 
bull,  when  they  all  made  off.  Following  on  their  spoor 
for  a  short  distance,  I  found  my  bull  lying  dying  be- 
neath a  thorn-tree,  and  his  comrades  standing  near  him. 
As  ths  old  bull  died,  he  roared  loudly,  as  buffaloes  are 
wont  to  do.  His  comrades  came  forward  and  walked 
round  him,  smelling  the  blood,  when  I  wounded  two 
more,  and  a  little  after  a  third,  which  the  natives  dis- 
covered on  the  following  day.  On  returning  to  camp 
I  dispatched  men  for  the  head  of  the  buffalo  and  a  sup- 
ply of  meat. 

Next  day,  while  exploring  a  fine  mountainous  tract 
of  country  to  the  southwest,  I  suddenly  found  myself 
in  my  old  wagon-spoor  of  '45,  within  a  short  distance 
of  the  bold  gorge  in  the  mountains  in  which  my  oxen 
had  been  chased  by  lions.  In  this  fine  pass  two  streams 
of  water  meet :  it  is  a  first-rate  district  for  game  when 
the  country  has  not  been  ransacked  by  Griqua  hunt- 
ers. I  immediately  found  the  spoor  of  a  troop  of  buf- 
faloes :  it  led  me  into  a  rich,  green,  and  well-wooded 
glen  in  the  hills,  through  which  one  of  the  afore-men- 
tioned streams  flowed.  The  wind  was  as  foul  as  it  could 
blow,  and  this  troop  got  my  wind.  Returning  from 
spooring  them,  however,  I  very  soon  fell  in  with  anoth- 
er troop,  reposing  under  dense  shade  in  the  same  glen. 
I  crept  in  within  thirty  yards  of  them,  and  there  lay 
for  upward  of  an  hour,  endeavoring  to  select  the  finest 
head.  The  buffalo  which  I  wanted  was  lying  down, 
his  body  screened  by  stout  thorn  branches.  I  miglit 
easily  have  shot  any  of  the  others  through  the  heart  if 


BUFFALO    HUNTING.  291 

I  had  wished  to  do  so.  One  by  one  thev  rose,  stretch- 
ed themselves,  rubbed  their  horns  upon  the  trees,  and 
again  lay  do\yn.  At  length  something,  which  I  could 
not  guess,  alarmed  them,  when  the  bufTalo  I  wanted 
sprang  to  his  feet,  affording  me  a  certain  shot,  but  my 
cap  disappointed  me.  I  then  had  a  snap  shot  through 
the  cover  with  my  left  barrel,  and  sent  a  bullet  through 
his  heart. 

The  herd  took  to  the  hills,  and,  by  an  extraordinary 
chance,  I  again  fell  in  with  them,  while  galloping  along, 
half  way  to  my  camp.  Dismounting,  I  ran  in  after 
them,  and  commanding  their  attention  by  a  shrill  whis- 
tle, the  herd  halted  and  faced  half  about,  when  I  drop- 
ped a  fine  old  cow  with  a  single  ball.  On  returning  to 
camp  r  found  a  party  of  Baquaines,  among  whom  was 
a  brother  of  Sichely's.  These  men  informed  me  that 
the  Boers  had  been  making  many  inquiries  concerning 
me,  and  that  they  had  stated  that  it  was  their  intention 
to  come  in  force  on  horseback  and  take  me  prisoner. 
The  Bftchuanafe.,  however,  further  stated  that  all  the 
horses  o*'  tlie  Boers  were  dead  with  the  distemper.  An 
attack  from  them  being,  however,  by  no  means  improb- 
able, I  deemed  it  prudent  to  hold  myself  in  a  certain 
degree  prepared,  and  resolved,  in  the  event  of  Mr.  Ed- 
wards, the  missionary  at  Bakatla,  thinking  the  road  by 
the  Mamouri  unsafe,  to  hold  a  more  westerly  course,  and 
go  out  by  the  country  of  the  Bawangketse.  Another 
valuable  black  shooting-mare  died  of  the  fell  distemper. 

My  losses  in  cattle  this  year  were  very  considerable. 
Up  to  this  time  fourteen  horses  and  fifteen  head  of  cat- 
tle had  died,  making  my  losses  in  all  four  expeditions 
mto  the  far  interior  amount  to  forty-five  horses  and 
seventy  head  of  nattle,  the  value  of  these  being  at  least 
£600.     I  also  lost  about  seventy  of  my  dog,<». 


292  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

We  continued  our  .march  for  several  days  throu-gh  a 
country  abounding  in  different  kinds  of  game,  affording 
good  sport;  and  on  the  1st  of  January,  1849, 1  rode  into 
Bakatla,  where  I  found  Mr.  Edwards  and  his  family 
flourishing.  The  news  was,  that  the  Boers  had  met 
the  governor  and  the-  troops,  &c.,  at  a  place  called 
Boom  Plaats,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Orange  River, 
and,  after  a  bloody  engagement  of  three  hours,  they 
had  been  defeated.  Mr.  Edwards  stated  that  since 
this  engagement  thb  Boers  had  been  flocking  in  about 
Mosega  in  great  numbers,  and  that  they  were  anxious 
to  get  possession  of  my  wagons.  He  therefore  advised 
me  strongly  not  to  proceed  by  ray  old  line  of  march, 
but  to  get  out  of  the  country  with  all  speed,  taking  the 
direct  road  across  the  mountain  at  the  back  of  Bakatla. 
My  prospects  of  doing  this,  however,  were  not  height- 
ened by  an  attack  in  the  morning  of  fever,  brought  on 
by  over-exertion  and  anxiety  of  mind. 

On  the  3d  we  marched  at  dawn,  and  after  proceed- 
ing for  many  miles  without  finding  water  at  the  differ- 
ent spots  where  v/e  were  led  to  expect  it,  we  bad  the 
pleasing  prospect  before  us  rif  not  seeing  any  un„ij  ^^'^ 
following  day,  when  we  might  reach  the  Molopo.  The 
sun's  heat  was  most  terrific,  and  my  poor  dogs  were 
already  on  the  verge  of  going  mad;  a  number  of  my 
cattle  were  lame  from  hoof-sickness,  and  I  myself  was 
laid  up  with  a  rattling  fever.  In  this  state  of  things  I 
halted  the  wagons,  and  dispatched  parties  in  different 
directions  with  spades  to  seek  for  water.  To  my  great 
relief.  Jolly  rode  up,  and  said  that  half  a  mile  in  ad- 
vance there  were  several  sheltered  holes,  containing 
sufficient  rain  water  for  all  the  cattle ;  thither  we  ac- 
cordingly moved  with  all  speed.  An  attack  from  the 
B^ers  being  not  at  all  improbable,  I  ordered  all  mj 


VISIT    FROM    MAHURA.  293 

guns  and  rifles  to  be  cleaned  and  loaded,  and  ammuni- 
tion to  be  placed  in  readiness  for  action.  I  had  also 
four  good  muskets  cleaned  and  loaded,  which  in  all 
gave  me  twenty  shots  at  the  first  round  ;  these,  if  well 
directed,  in  the  open  country,  I  calculated  would  keep 
off  a  whole  host  of  Boers. 

I  pushed  on 'the  wagons  as  rapidly  as  I  could,  con- 
sidering that  the  country  was  almost  destitute  of  water, 
my  cattle  consequently  being  in  a  desperate  condition; 
and  in  the  afternoon  of  the  13th  I  reached  the  Hart 
River,  where  I  outspanned  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
of  the  town  or  kraal  of  the  Batlapis.  The  river  was 
greatly  swollen  and  quite  impassable,  the  rain  having 
been  very  heavy  in  certain  parts  of  the  country.  Short- 
ly after  we  arrived  old  Mahura,  with  a  party,  made  his 
appearance,  and  came  down  to  greet  me  across  the 
river,  and  beg  for  some  coffee. 

In  the  morning,  by  Mahura's  request,  I  inspanned  and 
crossed  the  Hart  stream,  and  encamped  on  its  southern 
bank.  In  the  course  of  the  day  I  obtained  ten  karosses 
in  barter  from  the  tribe,  and  one  very  good  spotted  cat 
as  a  present  from  the  chief.  I  also  obtained  a  large 
sack  of  Kaffir  corn  in  barter  for  beads,  and  milk  was 
pressed  upon  us  to  any  amount.  A  few  fine  oxen  were 
offered  for  barter,  but  I  did  not  require  them,  preferring 
to  purchase  karosses.  Mahura  favored  me  with  a  visit 
morning  and  evening,  remaining  at  the  wagons  about 
three  hours  on  each  occasion,  drinking  coffee  to  an  im- 
mense extent,  and  pestering  me  with  requests  for  vari- 
ous articles  of  which  he  stood  in  need. 

On  the  16th  I  deemed  it  high  time  to  be  getting 
umler  way,  being  quite  sick  of  the  presence  of  Mahura 
and  his  retinue,  who  came  down  to  my  wagons,  and  re- 
mained there  for  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  merely 


294  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

to  eat  and  drink  and  pester  me,  not  bringing  any  art), 
cles  of  any  value  for  barter,  and  asking  absurdly  high 
prices.  Accordingly,  at  an  early  hour,  I  ordered  my 
men  to  count  my  cattle  and  inspan,  and  in  about  an 
hour  we  were  on  the  move.  Old  Mahura  was  coming 
down  to  drink  coffee,  and  met  us  as  we  were  going  past 
tlie  town.  He  was  evidently  vexed  at  my  sudden  de- 
parture. I  presented  him  with  some  coffee,  sugar,  and 
other  articles  equivalent  in  value  to  the  kaross  which 
he  had  given  me,  and  took  leave  of  him.  In  the  after- 
noon we  marched  about  six  or  seven  miles  nearer  to 
the  Vaal,  and  halted  in  the  hollow  where  nearly  ten 
months  before  I  had  coursed  an  old  blue  wildebeest 
with  dogs. 

Considerable  delay  was  caused  next  day  along  the 
line  of  march  by  young  oxen,  which  could  not  be  per- 
suaded to  trek,  although  flogged  until  their  sides  and 
flanks  were  red  with  gore.  About  four  hours  after  tho 
sun  rose  we  reached  the  fount  beside  a  few  acres  of 
bush,  where  we  outspanned.  Our  march  was  across 
boundless  open  country.  We  saw  a  good  deal  of  game, 
blue  and  black  wildebeest,  blesbok,  springbok,  and  a 
fine  troop  of  about  thirty  hartebeests.  In  the  after- 
noon I  again  marched,  and  at  nightfall  we  encamped 
on  the  bank  of  the  fair  Vaal  River.  It  was  consider- 
ably swollen,  heavy  rains  having  lately  fallen ;  but,  be- 
ing upon  th6  ebb,  I  deemed  it  well  not  to  take  the  drift 
until  the  morrow,  when,  having  arranged  two  trek- 
tows,  we  commenced  crossing  the  Vaal,  one  wagon  at 
a  time,  with  twenty  oxen,  and  in  about  two  hours  my 
three  heavily-laden  wagons  were  brought  through  in 
safety. 

After  two  or  three  days'  march  we  came  in  sight  of 
several  Boer  encampments  on  both  sides  of  the  Vet 


BOER    ENCAMPMENTS.  295 

River.  Four  Boers  paid  me  a  visit  and  drank  coffee 
with  me.  I  questioned  them  concerning  the  recent  en- 
gagement between  the  rebels  and  the  English.  They 
said  that  nearly  all  the  latter  had  fallen  on  that  occasion 
and  only  six  Boers,  and  told  us  many  other  equally 
extravagant  tales.  It  was,  however,  very  clear,  from 
their  remarks,  that  the  Boers  had  received  a  lesson 
which  they  would  not  soon  forget  of  the  utter  vanity 
of  opposition  to  the  English  government. 

On  the  24th  our  morning's  march  brought  us  into 
the  district  where  in  the  commencement  of  last  winter 
I  had  seen  such  overwhelming  swarms  of  blesboks : 
Boers  were  encamped  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
I  outspanned  beside  some  shady  thorn-trees ;  lions'  spoor 
was  seen  on  the  line  of  march.  In  the  afternoon  I  lost 
my  march,  being  obliged  to  halt  soon  after  I  inspanned 
to  correct  a  bush  of  the  iron  axle-tree  wagon,  which 
was  loose. 

The  25th  was  a  cloudy  morning,  with  a  cool  breeze. 
Our  morning's  march  brought  us  to  a  forsaken  Boer 
encampment,  around  which  lay  the  remains  of  the  dif- 
ferent varieties  of  game  frequenting  the  district.  We 
halted  for  breakfast  beside  several  acres  of  thorn-cover 
on  the  bank  of  the  river. 

As  we  were  breakfasting  on  the  24th  by  the  banks 
of  the  river,  a  trader  from  the  Pari  (a  district  near 
Cape  Town),  of  French  extraction,  passed  us  with  his 
two  wagons  laden  with  merchandise.  He  took  a  cup 
of  tea  with  me  and  gave  me  the  news  of  the  colony. 
Observing  the  skull  of  an  old  bull  buffalo  fastened  on 
one  of  my  traps,  he  asked  me  if  it  was  the  head  of  an 
elephant.  Another  Boer  had  asked  me  a  few  days 
since  if  a  crocodile's  heal,  which  was  tied  up  at  the 
back  of  Carollus's  wagon,  belonged  to  an  elephant.     In 


296  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA.. 

the  afternoon,  as  we  were  inspanning,  we  were  visited 
by  a  rebel  Boer  of  very  large  proportions.  This  man 
told  us  plainly  that  the  Boers  did  not  consider  them- 
selves as  conquered,  and  that  they  intended  to  try  it 
once  again. 

We  had  now  reached  that  point  in  our  line  of  march 
where  we  were  to  take  leave  of  the  Vet  River.  I  rode 
ahead  of  the  wagons  to  hunt,  and  after  proceeding 
about  a  mile,  found  myself  out  of  the  country  of  sweet 
grass,  and  entering  upon  bare  and  boundless  open  plains, 
thinly  clad  with  sour  pasturage,  the  favorite  haunt  and 
continual  residence  of  innumerable  herds  of  black  wilde- 
beest, blesbok,  and  springbok.  As  I  rode  on,  large 
troops  of  these  excellent,  sport-yielding  antelopes  grati- 
fied my  eyes  in  every  direction.  I  had  been  long  away 
from  them,  far,  far  in  the  dense  forest  regions  of  the  far 
interior,  and  now  I  gazed  once  more  upon  them  with  a 
lively  feeling  of  pleasure  and  intense  interest  which  no 
words  can  describe. 

When  the  sun  rose  next  morning  I  took  coffee,  and 
then  rode  west  with  two  after-riders,  in  the  hope  of 
getting  some  blesbok  shooting.  I  found  the  boundless 
undulating  plains  thickly  covered  with  game,  thousands 
upon  thousands  checkering  the  landscape  far  as  the  eye 
could  strain  in  every  direction.  The  blesboks,  which  I 
was  most  desirous  to  obtain,  were  extremely  wary,  and 
kept  pouring  on,  on,  up  the  wind,  in  long-continued 
streams  of  thousands,  so  swift  and  shy  that  it  was  im 
possible  to  get  within  six  hundred  yards  of  them,  oi 
even  by  any  stratagem  to  waylay  them,  so  boundless 
was  the  ground,  and  so  cunningly  did  they  avoid  cross- 
ing our  track. 

I  returned  to  camp,  having  bagged  one  springbok  doe 
and  one  old  bull  wildebeest,  which  was  in  superb  con- 


Vast  herds  op  game.  297 

dition.  Jolly  and  some  of  my  people  had  been  out,  but 
without  success. 

On  the  28th  I  rode  in  a  northwesterly  course,  and 
gave  chase  to  a  noble  herd  of  about  two  hundred  black 
wildebeest.  These  being  very  wild,  I  yached  them  on 
the  Boer  principle,  and,  taking  a  double  family  shot  at 
about  three  hundred  yards,  when  the  dust  had  blown 
past  one  fine  bull  was  found  to  have  bitten  the  dust : 
this  was  very  near  camp,  so  I  dispatched  Ruyter  for 
men  and  a  pack-ox  to  bring  the  gnoo  to  camp.  I  held 
on  in  a  westerly  course,  and  found  the  game  extreme- 
ly shy,  owing  to  the  high  winds. 

In  the  afternoon  I  inspanned  and  marched,  there  be- 
ing very  little  grass  here  for  my  cattle,  and  danger  of 
the  oxen  taking  a  horrible  and  very  fatal  illness,  called 
by  the  Boers  "  snot  sickness,"  which  cattle  are  very 
liable  to  from  pasturing  on  ground  frequented  by  black 
wildebeests.  The  sky  to  the  north  and  west  looked 
very  threatening,  and,  before  we  had  proceeded  far, 
black  masses  of  clouds  came  rolling  up  toward  us,  and 
vivid  flashes  of  forked  lightning,  accompanied  by  ap- 
palling peals  of  thunder,  proclaimed  the  approach  of  a 
storm.  In  a  few  minutes  it  was  upon  us,  the  rain  fall- 
ing in  torrents.  We  held  for  a  rocky  coppice  or  hill, 
beside  which  we  outspanned,  and  in  about  an  hour  the 
storm  had  passed  away  :  vast  herds  of  game  surround- 
ed us  on  every  side. 

Next  day  we  marched,  the  country  being  very  heavy 
for  the  bullocks,  owing  to  the  rain  which  had  fallen.  I 
held  across  the  country  for  a  range  of  stony  hills,  dotted 
over  with  dwarfish  trees  and  bushes,  on  which  I  ex- 
pected to  find  sweet  grass  for  my  cattle.  On  my  way 
thither  the  plains  on  every  side  of  us  presented  the 
most  lively  display  of  game,  and  I  was  tempted  by  the 
N2 


298  ADVEiNTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

endless  streams  of  blesboks  to  halt  my  wagons  for  a 
minute  to  catch  and  saddle  steeds  and  give  them  chase 
They  proved  extremely  shy,  and  in  about  four  hours  1 
rode  to  seek  my  wagons,  having  bagged  a  gnoo  and  a 
brace  of  blesboks. 

While  following  the  game,  one  of  my  after-riders 
started  an  ostrich  from  her  nest,  which  she  had  scooped 
in  the  sand :  it  was  about  seven  feet  in  diameter,  and 
contained  thirty-four  fine  fresh  eggs.  I  left  Ruyter  iu 
charge  of  the  nest,  the  eggs  being  in  danger  from  jack- 
als and  vultures,  and  particularly  from  the  ostrich  her- 
self, who  would  return  in  our  absence  and  break  every 
one  of  them.  Having  reached  my  camp,  I  dispatched 
two  men  with  leather  sacks  to  fetch  them. 

Next  morning  I  again  rode  forth  to  hunt  on  the 
plains  below  my  camp,  and  took  up  positions,  lying  on 
my  breast  behind  the  ant-hills,  while  Booi  and  Ruyter 
moved  up  the  game  toward  me.  I  had  some  exciting 
sport,  the  wildebeests  several  times  coming  charging 
madly  down  upon  the  very  spot  where  I  lay  concealed. 
About  mid-day  I  had  bagged  two  old  bulls,  and  found 
one  of  the  wounded  of  the  day  before :  he  was  still 
warm,  and  was  in  first-rate  condition.  Several  thou- 
sand blesboks  came  pouring  up  wind  between  me  and 
my  camp  as  I  was  riding  home :  these  had  probably 
been  hunted  up  by  some  Boer  or  Boers  to  leeward.  In 
the  evening  I  again  rode  out,  and  had  the  game  moved 
toward  me,  when  I  shot  a  fourth  old  bull  wildebeest 
for  which  1  dispatched  men  with  a  pack-ox  by  moon- 
light, having  left  Booi  in  charge  of  the  venison. 

On  the  1st  of  February  we  marched,  and  reached 
Bloem  Vonteyn  on  the  3d,  where  I  was  kindly  received 
by  the  officers  of  the  45th  and  Cape  Corps  stationed 
there.     Here   we  remained  a  day  or  two,  and  then 


CROSSING    THE    ORAtVGE    RIVER.  299 

trekked  on  through  a  most  desolate  country,  on  which, 
together  with  vast  herds  of  wildebeest,  blesbok",  and 
springbok,  we  found  numbers  of  skeletons  scattered 
over  the  plains  on  all  sides.  This  great  mortality  had 
been  caused  either  by  famine  or  by  a  horrid  mangy 
disease,  called  by  the  Dutch  "  brunt  sickta,"  which 
often  sweeps  off  whole  hosts  of  the  plain-frequenting 
game. 

On  the  17th  we  halted  the  wagons  at  Mr.  Fossey's 
farm,  within  two  miles  of  the  Great  Orange  River. 
Mr.  Fossey  informed  me  that  the  river  was  full,  and 
that  he  did  not  expect  it  would  be  fordable  for  several 
months.  Nerval's  Punt  had  been  smashed  when  the 
troops  crossed  over  to  fight  the  Boers  at  Boom  Plaats 
some  months  before,  and  the  new  one  constructed  in 
the  colony  had  not  yet  arrived.  I  was  detained  on  the 
banks  of  this  stream,  much  against  my  will,  for  several 
weeks  ;  but,  at  length,  on  the  8th  of  March,  hearing 
that  the  Boers  had  constructed  a  float  above  AUeman's 
Drift,  I  inspanned  and  proceeded  down  the  river  to 
view  it.  The  float  was  rather  a  dangerous  affair — I 
mean  for  property — the  stream  being  very  rapid  and 
deep.  It  was  calculated  to  ferry  over  light  wagons, 
but  heavily-laden  ones  required  to  be  off-loaded.  At 
sundown  I  had  taken  over  one  wagon  and  a  span  of 
twelve  oxen,  which  I  ferried  across  in  two  trips,  taking 
six  at  a  time. 

Next  morning  when  I  awoke  and  looked  to  the  river, 
I  found  that  it  had  grown  greatly  during  the  night,  and 
was  still  increasing  rapidly.  Having  off-loaded  the 
greater  part  of  the  cargo  of  old  Adonis's  wagon,  I 
managed  to  ferry  it  across  the  river,  having  narrowly 
escaped  losing  the  whole  in  the  middle  of  the  stream. 
"By  this  time  the  flood  had  increased  so  much  that  we 


SOO  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH   AFRICA. 

deemed  it  dangerous  to  attempt  to  ferry  over  any  thing 
else,  and  we  prudently  resolved  to  await  the  ebbing  of 
the  river,  which  continued  to  grow  rapidly  the  whole 
of  the  day.  In  the  afternoon  I  was  obliged  to  inspan 
the  wagon  which  I  had  brought  through  on  the  pre- 
ceding day,  and  remove  it  to  a  more  elevated  locality; 
and  it  was  well  that  I  did  so,  for  before  morning  the 
river  was  running  strong  and  deep  on  the  ground  which 
it  had  occupied.  I  entertained  considerable  apprehen- 
sion for  my  wagons  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
as  they  were  now  standing  upon  an  island,  and  the 
flood  had  already  nearly  reached  to  their  wheels. 

The  flood  continued  to  increase  steadily  until  the 
next  afternoon,  when  it  seemed  to  have  reached  its 
maximum,  and  about  sundown  it  was  evidently  upon 
the  ebb.  During  the  whole  of  to-day  and  yesterday 
the  flood  presented  an  appearance  of  extreme  grandeur; 
large  blocks  of  wood  and  trunks  of  forest-trees  were 
constantly  sweeping  past  us,  tossed  on  the  troubled 
waters  on  their  seaward  course.  In  the  course  of  the 
afternoon  the  stout  new  cable  by  which  the  float  was 
worked,  and  which  stretched  across  the  river,  each  end 
being  secured  to  a  rock-rifted  trunk  of  a  tree,  burst 
asunder,  being  unequal  to  resist  the  force  of  the  swoll- 
en river. 

On  the  14th,  with  much  diflficulty,  we  got  over  the 
cable  by  which  the  raft  was  worked,  and  the  Boers,  by 
way  of  experiment,  loaded  her  up  with  a  party  of 
Bechuana  Caffres,  and  endeavored  to  cross  the  river. 
There  was  a  small  boat  attached  to  the  float.  When 
they  had  got  about  half  way  across,  the  water  rose 
partially  over  the  float,  when  a  panic  came  over  both 
the  Boers  and  Bechuanas,  and  a  rush  was  made  into 
the  little  boat.     A  capsize  was  the  consequence ;  and 


ARRIVAL    AT    COLESBERG.  301 

at  the  same  moment,  the  rope  which  attached  the  boat 
to  the  float  parted.  The  unfortunate  men  were  then 
swept  away  down  the  rapid  current ;  and  of  twenty- 
seven  men  who  were  on  board  of  the  punt,  four  only 
escaped.  Two  of  those  who  were  drowned  were  Boers. 
After  this  accident  I  directed  ray  men,  who  were  in  an 
isolated  position  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  to  in- 
epan  and  remove  down  to  NorVal's  boat,  below  Alle- 
man's  Drift,  where  I  met  them  with  the  cap-tent  wag- 
on ;  and  at  sundown  next  day  we  had  safely  ferried 
over  the  other  two  wagons,  and  encamped  once  more 
on  British  territory. 

The  ferrying  was  a  very  laborious  proceeding,  each 
wagon  having  to  be  off-loaded,  and  then  taken  to  pieces, 
and  so  brought  over,  bit  by  bit ;  the  oxen  and  horses, 
&c.,  swam  the  river.  My  wagons  were  now  all  safely 
across;  so,  after  loading  them,  we  marched  on  the  18th, 
about  10  A.M.  At  sundown  we  entered  the  town  of 
Colesberg,  and  drew  up  opposite  to  the  old  barracks, 
having  been  absent  exactly  twelve  months. 

As  my  wagons  advanced  into  the  town,  the  news  of 
our  arrival  spread  like  wildfire,  and  multitudes  both  of 
men  and  good-looking  young  women  rushed  to  see  the 
old  elephant  hunter,  who  had  been  mourned  as  dead. 
We  were  soon  surrounded  by  nearly  one  half  of  the 
population,  who  mobbed-us  until  night  setting  in  dis- 
persed them  to  their  homes. 

[My  friend  Mr.  Orpen,  being  blessed  by  nature  with 
an  excellent  constitution,  had  considerably  recovered 
from  the  dreadful  wounds  which  he  received  from  the 
leopard  on  the  banks  of  the  Limpopo,  but  was  still,  1 
regret  to  say,  obliged  to  carry  his  arms  in  slings.  His 
father,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Orpen,  of  Colesberg,  informed  me 
tl:/  ^"^  had  great  hope  of  resttiring  his  arins  to  their 


302  ADVENTURES    IN    SOUTH    AFRICA. 

former  state,  even  at  that  late  period,  but  of  this  I  could 
not  help  being  very  doubtful.] 

During  my  stay  in  Colesberg  I  had  much  pleasure  in 
meeting  my  friend  Mr.  Oswell,  of  the  Honorable  East 
India  Company's  Service.  He  was  then  en  route  for 
the  far  interior,  intending  to  penetrate  the  Kalihari  in 
a  northwesterly  direction,  and  visit  the  lake  of  boats. 
This  was  an  expedition  which  I  myself  had  often 
thought  of  making,  but  a  limited  finance,  and  my  fan- 
cy for  collecting  objects  of  natural  history,  led  me  to 
incline  my  course  to  the  more  verdant  forests  of  the 
East,  where  I  deemed  I  could  more  certainly  first  col- 
lect, and  then  export,  the  precious  spoils  of  the  ele- 
phant. Mr.  Oswell  being  in  want  of  draught  oxen,  I 
permitted  him  to  select  as  many  as  he  required  from 
my  extensive  stock,  with  which  he  shortly  set  out,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Murray,  on  his  interesting  journey 
of  discovery.  I  was  occupied  in  Colesberg  till  the  12th 
of  April,  when  I  marched  to  "  Cuil  Vonteyn,"  a  farm 
belonging  to  a  Mrs.  Van  Blerk,  which  I  reached  in 
about  three  hours ;  the  country  all  karroo,  herds  of 
springboks  feeding  in  sight  of  the  house.  Here  I  found 
nine  heavily-laden  wagons  drawn  up,  which  I  had  hired 
and  laden  up  to  transport  my  collection  of  hunting  tro- 
phies to  the  sea.  When  I  entered  Colesberg  I  had  al- 
most made  up  my  mind  to  make  another  shooting  ex- 
pedition into  the  interior ;  but  a  combination  of  cir 
cumstances  induced  me  at  length  to  leave  Africa  for  a 
season,  and  revisit  my  native  land.  I  felt  much  sor- 
row and  reluctance  in  coming  to  this  resolution ;  for, 
although  I  had  now  spent  the  greater  part  of  five  sea- 
sons in  hunting  in  the  far  iaterior  the  various  game 
of  Southc.rn  Africa,  I  nevertheless  did  not  feel  in  the 
slightest  iegree  satiated  with  the  sport  which  it  affortJ. 


DEPARTURE  FOR  ENGLAND  303 

ed.  On  the  contrary,  the  wild,  free,  heaxthy,  roaming 
life  of  a  hunter  had  grown  upon  me,  and  I  loved  it  more 
and  more.  I  could  not  help  confessing  to  myself,  how- 
ever, that  in  the  most  laborious  yet  noble  pursuit  of 
elephant  hunting  I  was  over-taxing  my  frame  and  too 
rapidly  wearing  down  my  constitution.  Moreover,  the 
time  required  to  reach  those  extremely  distant  lands 
frequented  by  the  elephant  was  so  great  that  it  con- 
sumed nearly  one  half  of  the  season  in  going  and  re- 
turning, and  I  ever  found  that  my  dogs  and  horses  had 
lost  much  of  their  spirit  by  the  time  they  reached 
those  very  remote  districts.  My  nerves  and  constitu- 
tion were  considerably  shaken  by  the  power  of  a  scorch- 
ing African  sun,  and  I  considered  that  a  voyage  to  En- 
gland would  greatly  recruit  my  powers,  and  that  on  re- 
turning I  should  renew  my  pursuits  with  increased  zest. 
Having  thus  resolved  to  leave  the  colony,  I  directed 
my  march  toward  Port  Elizabeth,  by  way  of  Graff 
Reinett,  crossing  the  bold  mountain  range  of  Snew- 
berg.  On  the  10th  of  May  I  reached  the  shores  of  the 
ocean,  which  Ruyter  and  others  of  my  followers,  now 
beholding  for  the  first  time,  gazed  upon  with  wonder 
and  with  awe.  On  the  19th  I  took  my  passage  for  Old 
England  in  the  bark  "Augusta."  INIy  valuable  col- 
lection of  trophies  and  my  Cape  wagon,  weighing  all 
together  upward  of  thirty  tons,  were  then  carefully 
shipped,  and  on  the  7th  of  June  I  set  sail  (my  little 
Bushman  accompanying  me)  for  my  native  land,  after 
a  sojourn  of  nearly  five  years  in  the  wild  hunting- 
grounds  of  Southern  Africa. 


Tin:  END. 


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